Address—R. Thonney
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Tonight, as I mentioned last time, I'd like to take up the Book of Revelation in a brief way, kind of giving a brief resume of the whole book in view of what we've been talking about these other nights. But before I start, perhaps a few that haven't been here before, I'd just like to again review some of the things we've taken up.
First of all, we started.
Distinguishing in the Word of God that God addresses different people groups. One is called the Jewish people or the nation of Israel that we know exists now in the earth.
There were 12 tribes. What we speak of mainly when we say Jews is really two of those 12 tribes. It was the tribe of Judah and Benjamin that were left in the land and were carried away captive to Babylon. And they were the ones that came back in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, and they were there when the Lord Jesus.
Came back to came to this world the first time.
And they are the ones majorly responsible for the rejection and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. It wasn't the whole nation that was there. It was those two tribes. And what we're talking about in this time of great tribulation, in these seven years.
Is as majorly to bring those people to a recognition of what they have done so that they will recognize Jesus when he comes back to this earth again. So that's the Jewish people. The Gentiles are the rest of the nations. We are majorly Gentile peoples. The Church of God is a body of Christians, people that have been saved out of.
Jewish people and the Gentiles to form another entity, and the church is a heavenly people. So what we're talking about here, in this time of prophecy which concerns the earth, let's remember that the Church, before that time begins, is raptured to be with the Lord in glory. And that's where all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be.
When this time of terrible.
Judgment begins in the earth.
We also explained the matter of the 70 weeks of Daniel. It's a prophecy that starts with a very distinct.
Time date The command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem at 455 BC and then there was to be 7 weeks. These are weeks of years, not weeks of days, or 49 years and 62 weeks or 434 years until Messiah the Prince.
The Lord Jesus at the end of that time presented himself to the nation of Israel, was rejected. And there is where there begins an interval between the end of the 69th week and the last 70th week, the 70th week or seven years. And that's where we come up with seven years when we talk of great tribulation. And last time we noticed that.
That week of seven years starts when there is a pact formed between the people of Israel and the Roman Prince that will be in power in Europe at that time. That's what begins this last week of seven years. Now I'd like to take up the Book of Revelation.
In a brief and rather rapid way and show how it fits on to this chart of seven years we are living.
In this present interval of grace, God is not counting the years prophetically now, and we know that for the rapture of the Church, since the Church is a heavenly body, there is no sign that has to take place so that the Lord will come and take us away.
For his coming again at the end of the Revelation, at the Tribulation, there are many signs. In fact, some of the things we see today indicate that we are getting down to that time we spoke last time of. One of the most remarkable signs was the existence in the earth of the nation of Israel. After almost two Millennium. There is a kid in the earth since.
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1948.
The nation of Israel, not only is the remarkable that, but that they have their original language, the Hebrew tongue. So those are signs that show us that we are in that time period. We cannot tell the day nor the hour that the Lord says. And so we're not going to set times here. That would be wrong. But we know that we are in these times and the Lord has told us to watch.
Now let's go to the Book of Revelation. I'm not going to be flipping around through the Bible and I trust it'll be fairly easy. We'll start with chapter one of Revelation. And you notice the book title that men have put in this book is the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. At least that's what it says in my Bible, that the real title of this book is verse one, the Revelation.
Of Jesus Christ, and this should thrill any of us.
Who really, truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ? The Lord Jesus is going to be revealed publicly in this world.
John, who is the one who wrote this book by inspiration of God?
Is.
One who knew the Lord Jesus during his first coming to this earth, in fact that the last Passover supper he had leaned on Jesus bosom so he was close to the Lord and we're going to see that he learns to know the Lord.
In a different way than he had ever known him before. And that's why this is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
We look at Jesus and we think of one who is meek and lowly, who had no certain dwelling place down here in this world, but now we're going to know Him in a different way. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God-given to Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his Angel and to his servant John, who bear record of.
Word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that He saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein, for the time is at hand. Nor the book of the Bible has a blessing connected with reading it like this book, and I just want to encourage each one here to read it.
You might not understand a whole lot about it, but there is a special blessing connected with reading it.
Brother was telling the story not too long ago about a young man who was recently saved and read the Book of Revelation. And somebody asked him at the end, well, what did you get out of it? And he said, well, there was a lot I didn't understand, but I did get out of it that Jesus wins in the end. And I thought that was really nice. That's true. We have a person that we profess to believe in and.
Follow that is going to win in the end. Isn't that tremendous in view of all the evil and all the confusion of the world that we live in? We follow a person who is going to win in the end.
Well, John is the instrument to write this book, verse 4 to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come. That is, he is the ever existing one. He is that's present. He was that's past and which is to come that's future. So the Lord Jesus is presented as the ever existing one.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness in the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins, in his own blood, that made us kings and priests. And to God and his Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds. This book deals with the coming of the Lord Jesus, and every eye shall see him.
Let's distinguish what we're talking about in this verse seven. It's not the rapture because when the Lord Jesus comes to take his own people home to heaven, those that are not believers are not going to see him at that time, only those who have truly trusted in the Lord Jesus through all ages of time. They are the ones that are going to be resurrected, a great multitude of those that have died.
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And we which are alive and remain, the scripture tells us.
To the coming of the Lord are going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The Lord Jesus is only going to come down to the clouds and then he's going to take us home to the glory. But what we're talking about in this verse 7 is this part of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him.
And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so. Amen.
Why are they going to wail is because when he comes at the end of this tribulation period, he comes to deal out judgment. Judgment is God's strange work. He does not like to judge and that's why he's presented a savior to save us from our sins. But those who will not deal with God as a savior God.
Will have to meet him anyhow and they will meet him as a judge and that's why when he comes again.
There's going to be wailing.
Verse eight I am Alpha and Omega, the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet, The beginning and the end set the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come? The Almighty. Is He going to be able to implant His government when He comes to this world? Is He able to be able to judge those mighty peoples of the earth?
Yes, nothing will stand before him. He is introduced here as the Almighty.
And then it says verse nine, I John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the aisle that is called Patnas for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lords day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the 1St and the last, and what thou seest write in a book.
And send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia under Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and unto Pergamus, and unto Thyatiran, and to Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Here are the seven churches of this present interval of grace. At least we can say that in these seven churches 7 is always a complete number, as there are seven days in one week.
So.
Seven churches is representative of this present interval of grace that we now live in. And so he has a message for these seven churches. But notice John hears this voice and he says in verse 12. I turn to see the voice that spake with me.
You know, sometimes we have to turn around to see the Lord Jesus.
I see sometimes folks that get so discouraged because they see Christians acting in a way they shouldn't act.
And they looking in One Direction. And I found this really helpful that sometimes if you want to see the Lord, you have to turn around. John was exactly there. He was looking in One Direction and he had to turn to see the one that was looking. Oh brethren, how we need to turn and look full into the face of Jesus. We can't do it in a physical way, but by faith.
Reading the scriptures we can see him.
And that's what makes a real Christian, is one who has occupied with Jesus, one who is saved and occupied with Jesus. That's our testimony is noticing on the way to the meeting tonight the moon, how bright it is. Why is it so bright? It's because it is in full reflection of the glory of the sun. And you and I are going to be bright in our testimony in the measure that we're looking.
Fall into the face of Jesus. That's where our testimony is going to come from.
Not looking at each other, but looking at him. So John turns around and notice it says being turned. I saw 7 golden candlesticks. I've often puzzled over that. Why did he see candle sticks? You'd think he'd say well I saw one standing in the mix. No, he sees the candlesticks first because the candlesticks are representative of the assembly or the churches.
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People here in this world that are light bearers, they're candlesticks. They have a light to give to this world. And isn't that a real challenge to our hearts, to dear brother and sister and the Lord Jesus that we need to be giving the light? That's why God has put us in this world. So this is what is visible in this world. People say, well, I don't know if Jesus is down here.
Where are you going to see him?
There are those who have the Candlestick, the light of testimony. They are the ones that should be telling the story of Jesus.
And then he says in verse 13, and I just like to say in this first chapter, this is a book of judgment. We have the judge introduced and this is the beginning of the introduction to the judge of this coming day of judgment.
In the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man.
Clothed with a garment down to the foot and gird about the paps with a golden girdle. Just to pause there a minute. This is the way a judge is dressed. He's a long black robe, generally speaking, but this is the way he's taking the character of a judge here, and he takes the title Son of Man.
When he comes back again, we know that Jesus is very God.
And very man is God, and man in the same blessed person.
But when he comes back again, he's going to be coming as man to judge. And that's why he has that title, Son of Man. People are not going to be able to say to him, you don't understand what it is to be a human being in this plant on this planet. Yes, he does. He was here. He passed through life down here.
And he was rejected and crucified, so he knows exactly what it's like.
So when he comes again, he's going to be here as Son of Man.
And it says he was gird about the paps with a golden girdle. There was a golden belt around his breasts. Golden scripture is often figurative of what is divine, divine righteousness. And even though the breast speaks of affection, God's love is never changed. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. But there are times.
When God, the display of God's love is restrained. And so we seek here.
A golden belt around his paps his breasts.
So he cannot show his love in this time of judgment. Does that mean that his love has changed? No, he still loves the same as ever. Verse 14. His head and his hairs were white like wool. Great age and experience in his judgment. In fact, in Daniel the Prophet, he's called the Ancient of Days.
His.
Eyes were as a flame of fire, extremely penetrating.
When a welder wants to cut through metal steel, he takes in a settling torch.
And he can cut right through it. It cuts right through it. I look at everyone here this evening and we look at each other and we see what is exterior and we maybe guess what people are thinking, but we really don't know. And we're told not to judge the motives of others.
But here is one that looks straight through you. He sees every motive of your heart.
You cannot hide anything from Him. This is the judge whom every human being that has ever lived on the face of the earth must face. If they have not accepted him as Savior. Again, I say we can accept him as Savior. But if a person refuses to accept Jesus as Savior, they must meet Jesus anyway, and they will meet him as a judge. The decision.
Is on in the responsibility of every person.
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Verse 15 His feet that speaks of his ways like in define brass as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Oh, he knows how to make a person listen sometimes, you know.
A child that is a bit way wayward when their mother speaks to them, acts like he doesn't hear, and the mother will raise her voice louder and louder until that child listens.
And God has a way to make you listen. You may say, I don't really want to listen, you will listen. He has his way of making everyone listen, His voice as the sound of many waters. I'm sure some of you have been to Niagara Falls to hear the Thunder of those waters as they plunge down.
Into the depths and when you're standing at the edge of those falls.
You find that you have to, if you're going to try to talk to somebody, you have to get right up to their ear and shout because it is so powerful. The noise of those many waters, His voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth with a sharp 2 edged sword. That's his word.
And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. Oh, I love to think about this. You know, you and I have not seen the glory of Jesus like this. When they he was here in this world, He was veiled with a human form. People looked at him and said He's just like anybody else.
There was no Halo over his head. He was called the Carpenter. Another place. They called him the carpenter's son. We know him.
They didn't see any difference is because his divinity, his glory was veiled by that human form. But when he comes again, here it is. His face was as the sun shineth in his strength. He ever tried to look straight at the sun? You can't do it. You'll damage your sight if you do it.
But Jesus, when he comes again his countenance as the sun shineth in his strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the 1St.
And the last I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.
And have the keys of hell and of death. So here we have.
The Lord Jesus presenting himself to John. John is totally fearful and falls at his feet as dead. But the Lord Jesus puts his hand on and says fear not. It was because he was revealing himself to John in a new way that John had not known before.
Now notice verse 19. I'd like to, you know, notice this, because this gives a brief outline of the whole Book of Revelation.
Jesus says to John, write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.
So what John had seen, that is the first phrase is chapter one of this book. The things which are that's present, that is chapters 2:00 and 3:00, because we are living in this church age, this present church age, and the things which shall be hereafter, that is chapter 4, forward those.
Future events after the Rapture. Then chapter 4 forward begins.
The time of tribulation, but that gives a brief outline of the whole book. Now we're going to have to go rather fast. I just like to say as we start now to go into the different chapters of the book, that if we can take the Book of Revelation, you know, it has 22 Chapters and let's divide it in half.
11:00 and 11:00 makes 22 The 1St 11 Chapters.
Begins with this period of grace, this interval of grace.
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Where the church is here in this world, that's where we are now. We think we're getting close to the end and at the end of Chapter 11, it comes down to the 7th trumpet and that is the introduction of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world. So from chapter one to Chapter 11, we have this whole period that we've been talking.
Now let's go and speak about that, but I'd like to say in chapter two and three, we are in the church age, those seven churches from Ephesus to Laodicea, and they are representative of the Christian testimony here in this world. And Jesus is seen as standing in the midst, observing all that takes place.
And he has his judgment about it.
He's walking in the midst of those 7 golden candlesticks and five of the seven. He notices things that are not right and he tells us so. And so there's a lot of lessons that we can learn in these chapters two and three, for example, in Ephesus. His complaint?
In verse four of chapter two was I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love.
The relationship between Christ and His church is redeemed people, is a love relationship and do you think He doesn't notice it? When we turn away and give our hearts affections to other things in this world, He does notice it.
You and I may say, well, it looks like they're all pretty straight and they're going on fairly well, but He looks right into the interior. How is it in our hearts affections? Is there a heart that burns for Jesus within my breast? He knows He is the one that passes judgment. I cannot pass judgment on myself, but it is for me to reflect and to be.
In the light of his presence, He's here with us.
Purchase and I just like to mention the last church, which is Laodicea, and the characteristic thing at the end of chapter 3 and Laodicea is that they are indifferent to Christ.
They form their own judgments about how they are, and it's totally the opposite of what Christ thinks about them.
I think that's really solemn to think about. You know, sometimes we form our own self evaluation.
I don't really have a whole lot of confidence in the evaluation I form about myself.
No, that is not what is going to stand in that day when I appear before the Lord. What is going to stand is His evaluation. And you'll notice too, in verse 20 of the third chapter where the Lord Jesus is in relation to this last church. He is outside of a closed door.
Knocking for admittance.
Isn't that solemn? They started by leaving their first love, and they ended by having Jesus outside of a closed door. No room there for Jesus. Solemn to think about. But that is what Jesus sees in the Christian profession. And I really believe that there's much in Laodicea that corresponds to the Christian testimony today.
Now we're going to go on to the 4th and 5th chapters, and you'll notice in each of these chapters it tells about a throne. And I'd like to present it in this way that it is the basis upon which God will judge this world. What ground does God have to judge this world? What basis?
There's a courthouse up here in Lawrenceville.
And there's judges that have court cases. On what grounds do they judge?
There is the law of the land, and upon the ground of that law people are judged as to how they act and how they disobey the laws. But here, how is God going to judge this world? On what grounds does Jesus have for coming back and affecting the judgment? That's an important point.
And in chapter four, in a brief way, I'd like to point out.
That it is because He is Creator. Notice verse 11.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.
For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. In other words, because He is the Creator, He has the right to judge this world.
And that's why I really believe that man struggles so to come up with alternate theories as to the origin of the universe. The theory of evolution is really outdated. It is no longer valid in scientific circles, yet they continue to teach it in the schools because they say they don't have any other option.
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But evolution teaches that everything came from nothing.
If that were true, then mankind has no ultimate responsibility to anyone and he can do what he likes. And when we see the way our country has gone and the way young people and children have been taught that and what they do as a result, it is shocking.
We do have an ultimate responsibility to a creator God.
You cannot get away from it. As much as you like to ignore it, you cannot get away from it. We have a God who has created us and we are responsible to him. So that's the ground that is presented in chapter four, chapter 5. Now there is a different reason why God will judge the world. It is because.
God is a Redeemer God, and he has bought back.
This world that departed from him by the blood of Jesus.
Notice I'd like to read a few verses here. I saw on the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written.
Within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals, this book is the title Deed to the Earth.
And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, nor under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book and to read the book, neither to look thereon. One of the elders saith unto me, Weep not, Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah.
The root of David hath prevailed to open the Book, and to open the seven seals thereof. And I beheld in law in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Now notice the song of heaven. In verse nine they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation has made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
So there the ground of his judgment is redemption.
Not only does Jesus have the rights to judge this world as Creator, he has the rights to judge this world because he died and paid the price to buy it back again. On those two counts, he has every right to take the title deed of the earth.
You know, Satan has gotten lots of power in this world, but he is going to be.
Deposed of his power and Jesus is going to take the power in the end. He's going to take that book and he's going to open the seals there up.
Now.
In Chapter 6, we begin the seal judgments. He begins to open those seals on that book, and every time he opens a seal, there is another judgment that falls on the earth. And I'd like to say here that way we understand. I'm not saying my understanding is.
Totally perfect, but it is the way we understand and I'm certainly subject to correction and challenge. But this is the way I understand it and I will present it. The seal judgments take place in the 1St 3 1/2 years, what we talked about last time in Matthew 24 as the beginning of sorrows. There are 123456 seals opened in chapter.
Six and then Chapter 7.
Is kind of a parenthesis in which before any further judgment begins to fall.
There is a ceiling of 144,000 people.
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From the earth, and if you'll notice the list in Chapter 7, it is of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
In other words, these are not gentile peoples, and I just like to say.
Without saying too much that the Jehovah's Witness say that this is that they are the 144,000, but if you look here closely, they are of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe. So it cannot be Gentile peoples that it's referring to here. It is those Jewish people that are.
Sealed before the awful.
The more awful judgments start to fall, but notice up to verse 8 of this Chapter 7.
Is the 12 tribes in verse 9, there's a great multitude which is going to be saved from all the nations of the earth during that tribulation period. It says with a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues which stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.
So that's not only the 12 tribes that are going to be saved.
That are sealed and saved. It's going to be those.
Great multitude from all nations, that is during this tribulation period, like we mentioned last time, the gospel that will be preached is not exactly the gospel we preach now. It deals with the same person, but it is the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the gospel that John the Baptist preached when he came as forerunner to the Lord Jesus, and it is the gospel that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning.
Of his public ministry here. It is a simple message. Straighten out your ways. They will go through the whole earth telling people, straighten out. The king is coming and there's going to be severe judgment for the person that's not ready. This is the judgment that will be preached in that time period.
Now we go to Chapter 8 and you'll notice the 7th seal is opened, and when the 7th seal is opened, it introduces the seven trumpet judgments. Let me pause just to say that in the Book of Revelation you have three sets of seven that are judgments, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, which begin here in the beginning of chapter.
And later on, the seven vials, the seven seals take place, generally speaking, in this first 3 1/2 years. And the 7th seal introduces the trumpet judgments and the trumpet judgments, according to my understanding, they run consecutively with the vile judgments through these last 3 1/2 years.
They become increasingly severe.
The judgments in the beginning of these three seven years, 1St 3 1/2 years are more providential. There is famine, there is civil war, things that you might say can be explained by natural means. But in the last 3 1/2 years, it's going to be evident that God has his hand directly in the judgments that are going to fall. And that's why it's called.
Great tribulation, the intensity, the awfulness of those judgments. We have no idea. Again, I repeat what I said last time, The Lord Jesus said there will be no time so awful after it. There was no time so awful before it as this time of judgment in this last 3 1/2 years. And that's why.
We played for souls to come to Christ.
To escape that judgment, there is no other escape but in the Lord Jesus. So in the 8th, 9th chapters you have the trumpet judgments. In chapter 10 there is a mighty Angel that comes down, and if you'll notice at the end of verse six, he swears.
By him that liveth forever and ever.
Chapter 10 and verse six, who created heaven and the things that are therein, art and earth, of things that are there in art and the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer. There's an alternate translation that reads that there should be no longer delay. In other words, the time has come of awful judgment and God since.
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His strange work is judgment when he starts to judge.
He will make a brief work of it. He has waited almost 2000 years since he was crucified.
But when he comes, and when he lifts his hand in judgment, there will be no longer delay. He will strike and strike hard. He's going to take the reins of government in this world in Chapter 11.
You have, we'll just go for the sake of time. I'm going to have to go a little faster here. Verse 15 is the 7th trumpet the 7th Angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. It's like we were mentioning last time.
The whole system of government that we know.
Is going to be replaced. When Jesus comes again, He is going to put his.
Righteous judgment in the earth and this is the introduction. The 7th trumpet introduces the Kingdom, the worldwide Kingdom of.
Our Lord and of His Christ, what a glorious day that's going to be when He takes the reins of government. And like I said, the 1St 11 Chapters takes care of this whole time period from this present interval of grace.
Right on through the tribulation to this moment when Jesus comes back to earth, when every eye shall see him, when he's going to put his government in the earth, His judgments are going to be executed at that time. So now when we go on to chapter 12, let's kind of think of this as going back to fit in other parts.
Of the picture.
It's like in many books that are written, you will have a theme, it takes it up and then a little later on the book it will go back and say, now I want to tell you about a specific thing here. And in chapter 12 we go back to the birth of Christ. Notice.
There appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun that's Israel, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. And she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth and pain to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, and having.
7 heads and 10 horns and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered for the devour her son, as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to unto God into his throne.
This great red dragon is the devil, it says a little later in the same chapter.
But it here it is in the context of the Roman Empire, because when Jesus was born, when he came the first time, it was the Roman Empire, the prevalent power in the earth. When Jesus comes back again, that same Roman Empire is going to be existing again, and we are seeing it take place before us today.
The European Union or the European Community?
Is going to be governed by 7 by 10 men, of which one will be number one man. This is what we have here in this chapter. And so the Roman Empire was in existence when Christ was here 1St and they tried to devour that boy that was born.
Herod, the delegate of the Roman Empire.
Sent to Jerusalem, sent to Bethlehem and had all the little boys from 2 years old and under killed to try to devour that manchild. We know that the Lord warned Joseph just before and he took Jesus to Egypt and so he was, he was saved from that death. But when Jesus comes back again, it's going to be that same.
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Roman power of Western Europe that's going to be in power and they are going to see, as we will see perhaps next time they will going to they're going to come and fight to make war against the Lord Jesus Christ. Incredible that they think that they're going to be able to win in that war.
In verse seven this chapter 12.
We have Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and the dragon is cast out of heaven and this takes place during the tribulation period.
And if you'll notice, I just like to point out here in verse.
It's verse 14, it says at the end of the verse.
She has nourished for a time and times and half a time. Time is one times if you make that 2 and half a time is 3 1/2 years. So sometimes in other places it says 42 months, sometimes it says 12160 days. It all refers to this last.
3 1/2 years.
Of what is called great tribulation, when the judgments of God are going to be intense in the earth. So that's what you have in chapter 12, Chapter 13, we are introduced to two figures that will play a large part in this tribulation period. In fact, one of them is a good possibility that both of them are alive in the earth today, but one of them cannot be.
While we are here, it tells us in Second Thessalonians chapter two that is the man that is called the Antichrist. But these two men are going to play a great part. Like we were mentioning last time, the beast or the head, the political head of the revived Roman Empire, European Community is going to have his seat in Rome.
The Antichrist will have his seat, as we will see in Jerusalem, because he sits in the temple of God, which is at Jerusalem. That is the rebuilt temple that they will have to do their sacrifices at that time. And he shows himself that he is God. He takes the place of God, and there's going to be an alliance between these two men.
In that day, Israel needs protection.
And so they're going to get protection from Europe.
So in chapter 13.
You'll notice there's a beast that rises out of the sea. The sea in scripture is often looked at as the mass of people's There's waves that powerfully move people's, waves of politics, waves of religion that move them strongly in the way they're being moved today. And out of that seething mass of humanity, this beast is going to.
He is a man, but he is called a beast because you know, a beast is something that has their eyes toward the earth. You know, a cow looks at the earth. He doesn't have a head to look up into the heavens. He has a head that looks at the earth. And this man will be a beast because he has reference to the earth. He doesn't want to have anything to do with a God in heaven. That's why he's going to proclaim.
As an object of worship and the Antichrist in Jerusalem, and they're going to command worship to those.
Amongst other things, let's read verse three. I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed. In all the world wondered after the beast, and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is likened to the beast, and who is able to make war with him?
There was given unto him a mouth speaking great blasphemy, great things and blasphemies.
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And power was given unto him to continue. 40 and two months. There's that. 3 1/2 years again, 42 months.
Through that time, he's going to have his tremendous power. His power will come not from God. His cup power will come from the dragon or Satan.
And then go down to verse 11 and I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Here is the Antichrist, he is the religious head, and it says he had two horns as a lamb because he's going to try to take the place of Christ himself.
But he spake as a dragon, he himself, he gets his power as well from Satan. So these two men are two main actors of this future day, one in Rome and one in Jerusalem that will be allied in the coalition against Christ when Christ comes back out of heaven.
It's important to to.
Understand that I'm going to have to go on because our time is just about up. I just like to say that in chapter.
16 You have the vile judgments. If you will take the time of your on your own to compare the trumpets with the vials, you'll find that they correspond a lot.
The 6th vial. I'd like to read what it says there.
In verse 12 it says the 6th Angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.
Verse 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon and the 7th Angel. No, Yeah, I'd just like to pause there. Armageddon. You notice on this, this chart here, this map, I put the war of God Almighty, the place is Armageddon.
It's what sometimes is called the Battle of Armageddon, and another translation we sometimes refer to uses the term the War of Armageddon. You know, a war is not just one battle, It is a series of battles. And the way we understand, and I'd like to take it up in a brief way next time, is that there are three major battles of the War of Armageddon peoples that come up against Christ.
And are soundly completely.
Defeated in this engagement called the War of God Almighty at Armageddon.
You go over to the 17th chapter and I'd just like to touch this before we stop, but here you have the judgment of the great *****.
A horror in the natural sense is one who has illicit relations.
And this is prohibited in the word of God.
The church is a heavenly people, a heavenly body meant for heaven, meant to be united to Christ in glory. But the church in this world has become a vast.
Structure, organization, whatever word you want to use that is become something great in this world. God never meant it to be something great in this world. He meant it to be great for heaven and heavenly glory with Christ. But it has become that in this world and what we have in this. Sometimes people say this is the Roman Catholic system. I say it is more than that. It is those that.
With that system in what is called the ecumenical movement, which is.
Going along strongly today, they unite with that system. This is what is referred to in chapter 17 and 18, and I'd just like to read verse four of chapter 18.
As to our relationship, any of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus.
To this conglomeration, I heard another voice from heaven saying.
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Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Well, our time has gone, gone a little faster. I think we'll have time next time to take up what concerns the rest of the Book of Revelation, tremendously glorious times that await this earth in the 1000 years, what is called the Millennium, the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. I tell you, we think that there's awful times coming. There are awful times that are coming, but.
Glorious times are coming immediately after.
When Jesus reigns with a rod of iron.
And he will reign from sea to sea. Everyone will bow to him, every person.