Rev. 13 tells us of the Roman Empire, the fourth and proudest of the four world-empires, under the symbolism of a beast having seven heads and ten horns, and that Satan will give him his power and great authority. History records how this proud Empire was broken up about A.D. 476. The Huns and Goths crossed the Alps with their armies, descended into the plains of Lombardy, marched on Rome, and captured that great capital of the Roman Empire. From that hour the Roman Empire ceased to exist.
The Apostle John writes, " And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death: and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." (Rev. 13:33And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)).
There are signs in Europe today that look like the beginning of the healing process. Fear is driving the nations to band themselves as the United Nations of Europe. Russia's boundless resources of materials and man-power, with the knowledge of her possession of atomic weapons of war, makes the nations of Europe feel, that if they don't hang together, they will hang separately. Fear, sickening fear, is the only cement to bind these defensive nations together.
Who can fail to see signs of a revived Roman Empire? When it arrives we are told they will worship Satan, and the beast, the Head of the revived Roman Empire. Power is given to this Head for forty-two months, that is, for three-and-a-half years, and he will make war on the saints, God's earthly people, in those terrible times.
Rev. 13 goes on to tell us of another beast, who will rise up. He is called the false prophet and the Antichrist, the willful king of Dan. 2:36-3936This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. (Daniel 2:36‑39). He will be friendly with the Head of the revived Roman Empire, and make this covenant with him. He will cause an image to be made of the Head of the revived Roman Empire, and decree his worship, as well as claiming worship for himself. We read of him, that he "Opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God... " (2 Thess. 2:44Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)).
The refusal to worship these apostate men will mean death.
We have come to the point when the doom of these guilty men is not far off. The dragon, Satan, the beast, the Head of the revived Roman Empire, and the false prophet, a Jew in power in Israel, make a formidable trinity of evil. We are told, "They are the spirit of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty... And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon." (Rev. 16:14, 1614For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:14)
16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16)).
At this juncture Scripture tells us the Lord will intervene in Person, in symbolic language riding on a white horse, the armies of heaven likewise riding on white horses. Here is described the result of the great battle of Armageddon. We read, "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." (Rev. 19:19, 2019And 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. 20And 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. (Revelation 19:19‑20)).
Without going into many details, let us consider for a moment the course of the three series of judgments, we read of in the book of Revelation, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven vials, which lead to the same point, the battle of Armageddon. These three series run their course between the rapture, which closes the Church's history on earth, and the appearing, beginning our Lord's reign upon the earth, the Millennium.
The seven seals seem to be more a visitation of men reaping what they sow, following the course of sanguinary war in which none is a gainer, though they are distinctly set forth as the beginning of the end, God using them to the fulfillment of His own will in preparing the earth for Christ's reign.
Then we come to the seven trumpets. Angels use the trumpets, with their loud call, commanding attention. These trumpets indicate a visitation of a more intense nature, than that of the judgments of the seals, as if man unrepenting, must have some sorer visitation from heaven. These seven trumpets are divided into four and three, the three described as " woes ", evidently still more intense. The seventh trumpet, the third woe, brings us up to the end when the world-kingdoms of the Lord and His Christ will have come. Lightnings and voices, and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail occur. The last woe will descend on a quivering earth, and out of its utmost travail will emerge the blessed rest and peace, that comes when our Lord shall reign on the earth in righteousness.
Then we come to the seven vials, which angels will pour forth. They run increasingly parallel with the seven trumpets, until when we come to the seventh vial, we find it is co-incident with the seventh trumpet, like a double clap of thunder. The seventh trumpet is said to bring us to the point when our Lord shall enter upon His earthly kingdom, and the seventh vial brings us to the same point, so they must both take place together at the end of the judgments.
This brings us in our diagram to the circle marked the Golden Age of Peace and Righteousness.