This is the Final Part of a Four Part study of the book of Revelation. The study is a collection of teachings of the servants of God and throughout the study abbreviations are used as references. Derick Prince [D.p], Duane Sheriff [D.s], Joseph Prince [J.p], Kenneth E. Hagin [K.h], Dr. Michael Brown [Dr.M.b.]. Contributions from, David Hogan, Heidi & Rolland Baker, Roberts Liardon, Andrew Wommack and others.
Point of Note: We need to make it CLEAR, the content of this study does NOT necessarily wholly reflect the beliefs of the ministers cited, however the study is composed of truths from revelations God has given to various ministries and aims to present it free from any Scriptural conflicts as to be able to stand scrutiny. So we wholeheartedly encourage the reader to CRITICALLY examine these truths.
You can download a PDF of this study: A Study on the Book of Revelation. [17-22]
Contents:
- Revelation 17: The Judgement of the Great Prostitute.
- Revelation 18: Destruction of Great Babylon.
- Revelation 19: The Second Coming.
- Revelation 20: Millennium Reign.
- Revelation 21: The New Heaven, Earth and Jerusalem.
- Revelation 22: Throne of GOD and the Lamb and the Water of Life.
Revelation 17: The Judgement of the Great Prostitute.
This chapter is a description of an event that was first introduced in chapter 14 with the statement, “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the Great, who has given all the Gentiles to drink of the wine of the passion [wrath] of her immorality.” Revelation 14:8 Now the fact that Babylon the Great was introduced in chapter 14, has a MAJOR significance. Chapter 14 is a chapter where the parable of wheat and tares is given full meaning, it is a chapter of HARVEST, and it is in the midst of all this Babylon the Great was introduced. Now the illustration for us is, the fact that she is mentioned between the description of two aspects of FAITHS, signifies to us that it is not only according to her government we should consider Great Babylon but according to the faith she represents. This is an important point we need to bear in mind in the following chapters, that Babylon the Great will be portrayed both as an Empire and as well as a false Church.
Now there are GREAT similarities between Babylon of the Chaldeans and Great Babylon of Rome. In this study we have used the book of Daniel to substantiate the events described in the book of Revelation by comparing the end of the Age of the Law according to Daniel to the end of the Age of Grace according to John. Likewise here we can use the events described in the prophecies of Jeremiah in regard to Babylon of the Chaldeans to substantiate the events that are to transpire in relation to Great Babylon of Rome. These two kingdoms were the only ones that have raised themselves to destroy both Jerusalem and the Temple of God and to utterly disperse her inhabitants. That is, the Great Babylon of Rome stands in the same palace as the Babylon of Chaldeans. And since Rome was far more superior in might than Babylon, we expect that is why she is called Great Babylon.
When the Babylon of the Chaldeans destroyed Jerusalem it was expressed as a punishment that was brought upon the land of Judah for all their unfaithfulness. So the Chaldeans ravaged the city, burned it down along with the temple of God and took the inhabitants captive. And Jeremiah promptly prophesied the destruction of Babylon and sent the prophecy by a messenger to be read over her and the scroll thrown in the River Euphrates, to await its fulfilment. [Jeremiah 51:59-64] And when the days of Judah’s exile were fulfilled God forgave the iniquity of Israel which also meant the day for Babylon to be judged for all the evil she has done to Israel has come. [Jer. 50:18-20, 28-31; 51:47-49] And a coalition of nations from the NORTH came upon her through the dried up river bed to take the city and destroy her. [Jer. 50:9,41; 51:27-28]
In the same manner, Rome was also an instrument through which those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ were made to be subject to destruction. The Lord said, “And as He drew near, having seen the city [Jerusalem], He wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you that your enemies will cast around you a barricade, and will surround you and will hem you in on every side. And they will level you to the ground, and your children within you, and will not leave a stone upon a stone within you, because you did not know the season of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44 And in fulfilment of prophecies of Daniel 9:26-27, Joel 2:1-11 and Zechariah 13:7-9, Rome burned Jerusalem and the temple to ground and sold the captives to the nations. So we see here also John making similar prophecies against the Babylon of his time as Jeremiah did. So, Rome who gorged herself in destroying Jerusalem and bathed in the blood of the witness of Jesus is left to remain, until the last day of the expiration of the Covenant of Grace, in fulfilment of the times of the Gentiles to which Israel’s present exile is equated to. [Luke 21:24] However, on that day the Lord will again say the inequities of Israel will not be remembered, Joel 3:20-21, and the time has come to recompense Great Babylon of Rome for all the evil she has done to Israel and for the martyrs of Jesus.
The Second aspect of Great Babylon is according to the Faith she represents which is comparable to Jerusalem of the Lord’s day. And John makes use of varying expressions, to illustrate between Rome the Great City and Rome the false church that is the Roman Catholic church. Now we might ask, how does Great Babylon refer to the Roman Catholic Church? It is not Rome’s political influence over the nation that stirred nations into UNFAITHFULNESS to God but the greatest export of Rome to the world which is the Roman Catholic faith. Unfaithfulness to God can only be expressed through a broken COVENANT and it is this simple fact which Rome has successfully packaged and sold to the nations, tribes, people and tongues.
So, Great Babylon of Rome stands accused in the manner the Lord accused the leaders of Jerusalem saying, “Isaiah prophesied rightly concerning you, saying, ‘This people honours Me with the LIPS, but their HEART is kept far away from Me. And in VAIN they WORSHIP Me, teaching as doctrines the PRECEPTS of MEN.” Matthew 15:7-9 The point is we CANNOT separate Rome, the Great City from her teaching of the Roman Catholic faith [the Vatican], just as we cannot separate Jerusalem from the Law, [the Temple mound.] [Galatians 4:25]
The Great Prostitute.
“And one of the seven angels having the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the PUNISHMENT of the GREAT PROSTITUTE, the one sitting upon MANY WATERS, WITH whom the KINGS of the EARTH have committed sexual IMMORALITY, and THOSE DWELLING on the earth have been made DRUNK with the WINE of her SEXUAL IMMORALITY.” [vs. 1-2]
We need to bear in mind that the main reason why Great Babylon will be destroyed is on the ACCOUNT of the Great Prostitute. So the first point for us to consider is why she is called, “the GREAT PROSTITUTE?” God has always expressed His relationship with mankind in terms of Covenants and Ezekiel describing the first instance God associated Himself with Israel says, “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a COVENANT with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 16:8 And Jeremiah describes this relationship in terms of marriage, entered into through the covenant of the Law, “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the COVENANT that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they BROKE, though I was a HUSBAND to them, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:31-32
So the idea is before someone can be considered unfaithful they first must have a covenant relationship with God. And every act of Israel’s departure from the COVENANT was described as an act of harlotry. Sexual immorality is the term God used to describe the unfaithfulness of those who knew Him but gave their affections and worship to anything other than God, which is an act of breaking faith with Him. And the height of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God is described by Jeremiah just after Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria and Judah was also on the brink of going into captivity to Babylon. “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed ADULTERY, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the HARLOT also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed ADULTERY with STONES and TREES. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her WHOLE HEART, but in PRETENCE,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:8-10
And God, looking forward to the day when Israel will be brought back to Him says, ”For you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your HUSBAND, the Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” Isaiah 54:4-5 Likewise, Paul also describes our relationship with the Lord under the New Covenant in the same concept of marriage, saying “For I have BETROTHED you to one HUSBAND, to present a pure virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 That is the Church is called the bride of Christ. [Romans 7:4, Ephesians 5:21-32] The point is what Israel was accused of under the Covenant of the Law, now the Great Prostitute stands accused under the Covenant of Grace.
When God dealt with Babylon of the Chaldeans He made several references to her idols, “Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, her images are broken in pieces.” Jeremiah 50:2 [And] “A drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is the land of CARVED IMAGES, and they are insane with their IDOLS.” Jeremiah 50:38 And [D.p] teaching on End Times refers to the prophecies of Jeremiah to draw a parallel between Babylon of the Chaldeans and present day Rome and he points out that Rome is also a land of carved images and idolatrous practice. However, nowhere does God refer to Babylon of Chaldeans as if she acted in unfaithfulness toward Him, though He does speak of her pride and haughtiness for raising herself against Him. [Jeremiah 50:24,29,31] That is, since Babylon was OUTSIDE of the Covenant God established with Israel, He does not accuse her of sexual immorality. [Ephesians 2:12, Romans 5:13] Nonetheless, she was judged for her cruelty in slaying the people of Judah, her acts of covetousness in plundering, and for the destruction of His temple. [Jeremiah 50:11,17-18,28; 51:49] So, Great Babylon of Rome differs from Babylon of the Chaldeans in this respect because she was betrothed to God through a Covenant of Grace, but had broken faith with Him lavished her worship to images and have engaged herself in all manner of idolatrous practices, so she is called, “the Great Prostitute.”
So, Great Babylon is a reference to the Great City Rome while Great Prostitute is a reference to the “Vatican,” the Roman Catholic church.
The next point is that she is described as “sitting on MANY waters.” John gives us the meaning of this and says, “The waters that you saw where the prostitute sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” Rev.17:15 Now this is not speaking in terms of location, since EVERY nation is surrounded by people of different tongues, but in respect to the influence she exerts. Jeremiah also describes Babylon, as “O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.” Jeremiah 51:13 That is as Babylon ruled over many people, nations and tribes, Great Babylon is also described as having the same effect. Note: John is seeing the Great Prostitute in the final days not Rome of his present day so her influence over the nations is NOT in terms of politics but of FAITH.
This point is supported by the fact her unfaithfulness is described in association with the kings of the earth with whom she committed sexual immorality. John identifies the kings of the earth as, “the woman whom you saw is the great city, having kingship over the kings of the earth.” [Revelation 17:18] The point is to express the INFLUENCE the Great Prostitute had over the governments of many nations. Which began in the days of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great who ruled over the eastern part of the Roman empire, when he made Christianity a state sponsored religion. Christian history records how this eventually steeped Europe into the age of darkness, when popes and kings used the christian faith as a weapon to subdue and rule for covetous gains. Kings and religious leaders seeking to consolidate power interpreted the Scriptures to suit their purposes and established it as doctrine, built up barriers between the word of God and the common people opening the way for great heresies to flourish. It is in this respect John describes her insatiable appetite for covetous gain as, “The kings of the earth, the ones having committed sexual immorality and having lived luxuriously with her.” Revelation 18:9 That is kings and governments applying her immorality were themselves enriched by it. The once waning power of the Roman Empire found a new means to exert influence over the nations in the Christian faith, so Popes became a pseudo monarchy of an empire of faith, claiming an unbroken divinely established line of succession, derived from the Apostle sent to the Jews.
And the Christian faith will not start to fully recover until Martin Luther in 1517 when he challenged the heretical doctrines of the time. The point is during which time the Roman Catholic church did great harm to the christian faith, she persecuted and killed many servants of God who opposed the ungodly dominion of the Roman Catholic church. And in her wealth she exerted her influence over every nation in the world propagating the false doctrines she built up over her long history to the neglect of the truth of Scripture. The effect of which is exhibited in the billion people she still influences around the world today. So when John says here, “those dwelling on the earth have been made DRUNK with the WINE of her sexual immorality.” We have to determine what is meant by “wine of her sexual immorality” and what the effect of being drunk is.
Wine is a product of fermentation, brought to maturity over a given period of time. When God promised Abraham the land, He told him the iniquities of the inhabitants were not yet complete. [Genesis 15:12-16] And, four generations later when the time had come for the wine of the fury of God to be poured out in the habitants of the land, Israel was brought up from the land of Egypt to exact the righteous judgement of God on them and drive them out of the land. Likewise, the Lord said to Jeremiah in the days of Babylon of the Chaledeans when Judah’s sin required a response from God, “Take this WINE cup of FURY from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will DRINK and STAGGER and go mad because of the SWORD that I will send among them.” Jeremiah 25:15-16,29 And in the same respect we now see, when the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled John says, “Babylon the great [Rome] was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the WINE of the FURY of His wrath.” Revelation 16:19 That is, WINE is an expression for the fury of God brought to full maturity on the account of Great Babylon’s acts of sexual immorality.
And the effect of being DRUNK is to bear the consequence of judgement of God. Jeremiah writes, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “DRINK, be DRUNK, and vomit! FALL and RISE NO MORE, because of the SWORD which I will send among you.” Jeremiah 25:27 So being drunk is an equivalent expression for the judgement of death as to fall and not rise. That is to say Babylon the Great was instrumental in making the inhabitants of the earth to be partakers of the wrath of God through her acts of immorality. In chapter 14 John describes it as, “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the Great, who has GIVEN all the Gentiles to DRINK of the WINE of the passion [WRATH] of her IMMORALITY.” Revelation 14:8 There are two main CONCEPTS we need to consider, the first is the inhabitants of the earth are made DRUNK with WRATH on the account of her immorality which chapter 16 describes and the second is we see Great Babylon herself being judged in chapters 17 and 18. The INSTITUTE is separated from the people of the nations who are the VICTIMS of her immorality.
This is the point of focus, how does Great Babylon’s immorality bear consequence on the inhabitants of the earth? As mentioned above the Great Prostitute is an expression of FAITH, and it is the doctrine she propagates throughout the world, that misleads the inhabitants of the earth to be partakers of the WRATH of her immorality. It is an equivalent expression of the teaching of the false prophet that misled the Clay nations, described in Revelation 14:9-11. However, while the beast is described as having offspring those who bear his mark and worship him, Great Babylon is not described as producing any children to God, yet her effect is felt by the inhabitants of the world. That is to say she has successfully deceived those bound to her in false religiosity that they are UNAWARE they STILL belong to the world and will be partakers of the Wrath of God. [Eph. 5:5-6] The main point is that she does not bring any change in the people who put their faith in her.
The concept of being born again is foreign to the Catholic faith. As shown in the parable of the ten virgins, which is ALL about being BORN AGAIN. “And while they are going away to buy [Oil], the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the wedding feast. And the door was shut. And afterwards, the other virgins come also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ And answering he said, ‘Truly I say to you, I DO NOT KNOW you.’” Matthew 25:10-12 That is to say those who do not have His Spirit in them are not considered His as Paul says in Romans 8:9. Note: the Lord makes this statement to those who call Him, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ and are waiting to enter His kingdom just as the wise virgins. David said, “Your WORD is a LAMP to my feet and a LIGHT to my path.” Psalms 119:105 So in the parable, the word of God is the LAMP and the OIL is the Holy Spirit. ALL of them had the word of God, but only the wise had the Oil, the HOLY SPIRIT. And since they ALL fell ASLEEP the parable is NOT in regards to works or diligence. More so, Matthew 7:21-23 clearly shows that some who rely on their works to qualify them without first being established in Christ as to have His Spirit in them, the Lord says to them also, “I never knew you.” There is a light that comes from knowing the Lord in His word, Great Babylon would not be considered unfaithful otherwise, but the TRUE PURPOSE of the Christian faith is having the Promise, the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. [Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9, Galatians 3:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14] without whom NONE are born again, “Born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8
Isaiah says, “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. Look, all you who KINDLE a FIRE, who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment.” Isaiah 50:10-11 This statement is contrasting those who seek to be led by the truth of God revealed to His servants or those who chose to follow their own way. The foolish virgins have taken the light of the word of God but have chosen to go their way without having the Holy Spirit and it will prove to be a GRAVE mistake. The Roman Catholic faith is responsible for many such doctrines which they themselves have constructed, and is the cause for the inhabitants of the world to fall.
There is another vital consideration we have to take on our generally accepted definition for apostasy. We in general expect the word to mean, people falling away from the faith, by that we mean they have denied the faith and no longer walk in it. BUT that is NOT the strict definition for apostasy according to Paul. Paul exhorts Timothy that in the last days people will “depart [apostasy] from the faith.” And he gives the reason saying, “by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrine of demons.” Note, they did not deny the Lord outright, BUT they just CHOSE to ACCEPT a LIE and through it they missed the mark, and fell away from the faith, that is they stood APART from the TRUTH. Likewise to the Galatians also Paul gave warning saying, “I am amazed that so quickly you are DESERTING from the One having called you in the grace of Christ to ANOTHER GOSPEL which is not another, except there are some who are troubling you and are desiring to PERVERT the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7 Even though there is NO other Gospel, Paul says they stood apart from the true Gospel “the faith” through the false teaching they entertained, that is to say they have apostatised. Finally he makes known the consequence of their error as, “Now again I testify to every man receiving circumcision that he is a debtor to keep the whole Law. Whoever are being justified in the Law, you are SEVERED from CHRIST; you have FALLEN AWAY from GRACE.” Galatians 5:3-4 To be SEVERED is a serious term, it is to be broken from the VINE. [John 15:6, Romans 11:21-23]
Therefore apostasy is departure from the truth of the COVENANT of GRACE and NOT from some act of religious form of worship. Jesus said to Pharisees and Scribes, “And you made void the commandment of God on account of your tradition! Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly concerning you, saying, ‘This people honour Me with the lips, but their heart is kept far away from Me. And in VAIN they worship Me, TEACHING as DOCTRINES the PRECEPTS of MEN.” Matthew 15:6-9 Their doctrines invalidated their worship of God, it was vain, without purpose.
So we can say a Jehovah Witness has apostatised from the faith, so has a Mormon, so has a Roman Catholic they have ALL departed by GREAT or SMALL measure from the truth of God, they have APOSTATISED. However if we ask any of them, they will vehemently object against the concept they have departed from the faith, claiming they still worship God. But According to the Spirit of God testified by Paul in the letter to Timothy Apostasy is departure from the truth of the faith. Paul wrote the Corinthians, “But I am afraid, lest by any means, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, your MINDS might be CORRUPTED from the SIMPLICITY and the PURITY in Christ. For if indeed the one coming proclaims another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or you receive a different spirit whom you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you are bearing with it well.” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 [Ephesians 4:14, Colossians 1:23]
This is the GREAT CRIME of the Great Prostitute, that is she has CORRUPTED the world by her teachings. And John describing the twofold aspect of the punishment of Great Babylon says, “For His judgements are true and righteous, because He has judged the GREAT PROSTITUTE, who had CORRUPTED the earth with her sexual IMMORALITY, and He has AVENGED the blood of His SERVANTS, out of her hand.” Revelation 19:2 We at times are very short sighted, we think of a situation and how does this directly affect us in the present? And we fail to recognise the false teachings we tolerate affect future generations. And Great Babylon is in effect the legacy of those who, like the Galatians once entertained a different Gospel. The corruption of teaching leading to more unfaithfulness through a broken covenant, which taken to its full extent, produced a church that bears no children to God, has embraced all manner of fables and superstitions and is a shell of an expression for a form of religion. So we have to take careful consideration of the COVENANT of GRACE, which is the terms of our MARRIAGE to the Lord.
The Doctrines of Immorality.
Nowhere is the Sexual Immorality of Great Babylon more apparent than the idolatrous practices that came through the Mariology for which the Roman Catholic faith is renowned for. Here we will examine the four core doctrines that relate to Mary, and how it translates to an act of unfaithfulness of the church in misleading many to put their TRUST in Mary and to worship, “venerate” her. [The bulk of this information was gathered from wikipedia.com]
Mother of God: [D.s] points out that Mary was NOT the mother of God, she was the mother of the Man Jesus Christ. How we perceive this concept MATTERS. The Lord said to the Pharisees, “How do they declare the Christ to be Son of David? For David himself says in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I place Your enemies, as a footstool of Your feet.”’ David therefore calls Him Lord, and how is He his son?” Luke 20:41-44 The Pharisees could not answer Him because a son calling his father lord is unthinkable. It is this concept that is shattered by calling Mary the mother of God, through which they have elevated her to be above God or equal to God, therefore worthy of worship or the preferred PR term “veneration.” This simple statement bears a huge consequence, even if in the nitty gritty that is not what they have intended, nevertheless the propagation of the term serves their purpose in elevating Mary in the hearts of people. Mary was a means by which we get to see God becoming a Man not a means by which we see Mary to become anything other than a woman. So her motherhood has to reflect this.
Jesus is the Son of God and is God, but there is a difference in the way He is manifested. Paul teaching on how the Law was brought to a close through the BODY of Jesus Christ quotes the Psalm of David saying, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a BODY You have prepared Me. In burnt offerings and offerings for sin You have not delighted. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—” Hebrews 10:5-7 That is the Everlasting Word of God was prepared to be a body of offering for sin. [Hebrews 9:15,26] And John explains it this way, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 Then he follows that with, “And the Word became FLESH and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, a glory as of an only BEGOTTEN from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 That is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is the Word God formed to be flesh in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. [Luke 1:35, Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:5-12, Hebrews 2:14,17] That is, God had to be PERFECTLY Man in order to be a perfect offering for the sins of mankind.
Now, Christ is called the Son of David, yet we do not call David the father of God. Mary is also the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it pertains to His likeness to mankind. Calling her mother of God is a huge error, unnecessary complication, which gives birth to more errors, even to call her the “the Queen of Heaven.” Elizabeth calls Mary, “And from where is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke 1:43 And Paul refers to James and Jude as, “the brothers of the Lord.” [1 Cor. 9:5 & Galatians 1:19] The point is to correctly relay Mary’s relationship as well as His brothers according to the flesh. If we call Mary the mother of God, we have to call James and Jude the brothers of God. Though Jesus is God, He presented Himself to be FULLY Man, as to operate on earth as any of us would through the Holy Spirit. Mary gave birth to Another Adam, the Son of Man. [Romans 5:15, 1 Cor. 15:45] And as the first Adam was made from CLAY the Last Adam is made of the WORD. The Word Himself is the Seed.
The term, “Mother of God” or “God bearer,” was conceived by the Catholic church and is not found in Scripture, which on the surface can be theologically IGNORABLE YET bears DIRE consequences. We are born from death by the incorruptible word of God having His Spirit in us to be made in His likeness. [1 Peter 1:23, Romans 8:9, 1 John 3:9] And when we see Him we will be EXACTLY like Him bodily, yet we DO NOT become gods but remain mankind. [1 Cor. 15:49, 1 John 3:2, Phil. 3:21] The New Heaven and Earth to come is known under God and the Lamb, [Rev. 21:22-23; 22:3] which is in reference to His appearance as Man to whom we are bonded forever through marriage. [Revelation 19:7] Though He is God He is ETERNALLY associated with us as a MAN portrayed in the Lamb. So Mary is the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ as it pertains to the flesh but it is absolutely wrong to call her the mother of God. It is a matter of perspective, the fruit of which is that such a term has produced unfaithfulness by sheer fact of deifying Mary, in the minds of people which spawned all manners of erroneous doctrine. We need to distinguish the difference!!!!
In this regard we need to address another term that seeks to attribute Mary as the mother of the Church. Paul in Galatians says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a WOMAN, having been born under the LAW, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 And Peter says, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to DEATH indeed in the FLESH, but having been made ALIVE in the SPIRIT.” 1 Peter 3:18 The result of which is the flesh is put aside, it is no longer of any significance, “Therefore from now, we regard NO ONE according to the FLESH. Even though we have regarded Christ according to flesh, yet NOW we REGARD Him thus NO LONGER. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION.” 2 Cor. 5:16-17 As Paul says, “the last Adam into a life-giving Spirit.” 1 Cor. 15:45 So every Spirit born child of God is as close to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Mary, James or Jude, there is NO DIFFERENCE. The attribute given to Mary according to the flesh under the Law is NO Longer applicable. The Church is born of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ, so Mary is not the mother of the church, but herself a MEMBER through receiving the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. [Acts 1:12-15, Romans 8:9-10] The Church is a new creation NOT of the flesh but of the Spirit.
Perpetual Virgin: The First and CLEAR writing that contradicts this doctrine is what Matthew says of the birth of Christ, “But he [Joseph] did not KNOW her [Mary] UNTIL she had brought forth a Son, and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:25 To know is a term the Bible uses to express a marital relation, which Mary herself used. [Genesis 4:1,25, Luke 1:34]. The point of this statement was to make it absolutely clear that the Son born of Mary was NOT the biological child of Joseph, and the “UNTIL” is to express the normal marriage life they had after. The result of which is, they said of the Lord, “Is this not the son of the carpenter [Joseph]? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us?” Matthew 13:55-56 Not only did the Lord have 4 brothers, He had sisters as well, who were ALL born to Joseph and Mary, CLEARLY showing ONE family unit. This is supported by all the writers of the Gospel. [Mark 3:31-35; 6:3, Luke 8:19-21]
Luke also presents the same concept of “knowing” as Matthew but from a different perspective, “Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David, which is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to register with Mary the one being BETROTHED to him, she BEING with CHILD.” Luke 2:4-5 Luke makes it clear that Mary was Joseph’s betrothed at this time, not yet his wife, the distinguishing feature being a wife and a husband are united to be one flesh. [Genesis 24:67, Matthew 19:4-6] Betrothal is different from a wife, it is to be bound by a promise, Paul also says, “Have you been BOUND to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Have you been loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if also you shall have MARRIED, you did not sin; and if the virgin shall have MARRIED, she did not sin.” 1 Cor. 7:27-28 Mary was betrothed to Joseph and the word of God that came to him through the angel was, “Joseph, son of David, you should not be afraid to RECEIVE Mary as your wife, for that having been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20 God Himself encouraged Joseph to take Mary from betrothal to be his wife.
Another point Luke makes is, “And when eight days to circumcise Him were fulfilled, then His name was called Jesus, which He had been called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days of their PURIFICATION were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present to the Lord (as it has been written in the Law of the Lord: “Every male opening a womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice, according to that having been said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:21-24 The Law of Moses, states when a woman bears a male child, she is considered unclean for seven days; the same time given for a woman’s customary impurity. This is an act in relation to the blood that was produced in the process of giving birth hence the comparison to the woman’s monthly cycle. And the next time Mary came to the temple was, “when the days of their purification were fulfilled,” that is to say, “She shall then continue in the BLOOD of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.” Leviticus 12:1-4 Then the offering is made, “Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood.” [vs. 7] Mary obeyed the Law not as an act of symbolism but because blood was ACTUALLY produced in giving birth to Jesus. Only the conception was in the state of a virgin, not the birth. [Matthew 1:20-25]
There are two main arguments that seek to explain away the brothers and sisters of the Lord and perpetuate the Ever Virgin theory. One is using “Mary the mother of James the least and of Joseph, and Salome.” Mark 15:40, as the children claimed to be Mary’s sister, which is wrong from the beginning since what parent would call both sisters Mary? Besides the children listed do not match, Matthew says, “Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” Matthew 13:55 The next is, Joseph was an older man, who was married before and had sons and daughters and being old was unable to carry on a normal relationship with a wife. The question then is why would he then even take a wife? It is obvious he was not rich so as to take a wife on a whim, since they gave two turtle doves for her purification. [Luke 2:24] And when discovering Mary was with Child, he being a JUST man sought out ways that he might put her away discreetly. [Matthew 1:19-20] Why even contemplate that if he had no intention to know his wife and was only intending to be her guardian.
John 7:5, Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 9:5, Galatians 1:19, clearly distinguish the Lord’s family relationship from all others. However, in attributing the brothers and sisters of the Lord to the previous marriage of Joseph, in a bid to uphold some man made fallacy they have made the Lord to be the LEAST of the household. The Lord is the FIRSTBORN in all things, and first among the children of Mary and Joseph. [Rom. 8:29, Col. 1:15,18 Heb. 1:6]
More so, we never hear of them, where were James, Jude, Simone and Jose when Joseph, this OLD MAN according to Catholic tradition, was travelling the distance to Bethlehem to be registered, [Luke 2:1-7] and when the shepherd of the field visited them in the manger. [Luke 2:15-20] Or when they had Him circumcised, and presented an offering for Mary’s purification. [Luke 2:21-24] And when the wise men from the east brought Him gifts. [Matthew 2:9-11] Or when Joseph, being warned by the angel, got up by night and took Jesus and His mother to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died and when he returned at the angel’s instruction to dwell in Nazareth. [Matthew 2:13-23] YET not one mention of His older brothers and sisters, NOT one. Was Joseph a man, who left his wife to take a younger bride and abandoned his children? Is that the virtue we attribute to the earthly father, this JUST man that looked and cared after the Lord? [Matthew 1:19] No, the simple explanation is, they were NOT yet born, since Joseph has YET to know his wife Mary. Not even when the Lord was twelve years old were His brothers mentioned, among the relatives which makes them a lot younger than Him. [Luke 2:42-51]
PLEASE NOTE, this is SUBJECTIVE: The Lord was 33 years old at the time of His crucifixion which makes the next oldest we might suppose to be 21 then 3 more brothers and at least 2 sisters. We can assume His sisters to be married since we do not hear from them and women do marry young then. And the oldest we can expect the younger brother to be is 18 years old, assuming the sisters were not older. This is the reason the Lord entrusted His mother to John, not considering that these young men were far more terrified than even His disciples were. For John says, after the crucifixion, “the doors where the disciples were having been shut through the FEAR of the Jews.” John 20:19 It is more daring to say, not only His mother did John take to his home but His younger brothers as well. His brothers are always mentioned with their mother, in Matthew 12:46-47 as well as Acts 1:14. And we see them all together in the story of the feast of the tabernacle as they all prepared to go to Jerusalem in [John 7:5]. We suggest this to counter any suggestions that Jesus entrusted His mother to John because His brothers and sisters are not Mary’s children, no, they were simply too young.
When the Lord was teaching the people Luke records, “And it came to pass, in His saying these things, a certain woman from the crowd, having lifted up her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the WOMB having borne You, and the BREASTS at which You nursed. And He said, “NO RATHER, blessed are those hearing the word of God and keeping it.” Luke 11:27-28 We can contrast this woman’s statement to that of Elizabeth, when she said to Mary, “Blessed are you AMONG women, and blessed is the FRUIT your of womb.” Luke 1:42 The woman in the crowd was blessing the breast and womb of Mary, however Elizabeth was blessing the Fruit, that is the Lord Himself. EVERY mother cares and nurses her children, and the service Mary rendered to the Lord is NOT in ANY way different or any SPECIAL than any other woman would do to her child. And the Lord’s own response reflects this “No Rather” the blessing is on those who hear the word of God and keep it. He is not dismissing the value of His mother in caring for Him but He is pointing out the ABSOLUTE mistake to attach VIRTUE to it.
Like the woman in the crowd, the Roman Catholic church venerates, IDOLISE the womb of Mary, because they believed it ought to be FITTING, to attribute such dignity to the process, regardless of the truth of GOD in clear disregard for His Grace and go into DEEPER ERROR. And in their bid to bestow some man conceived majesty they have sought to keep the womb of Mary to be holy through all manner of myths and have ended up ROBBING the Lord the rights of a FIRSTBORN and the UNIQUENESS of His birth. But Hebrews says, He had to be made like us in EVERYTHING, even to be TEMPTED like us. [Hebrews 2:17-18] Having siblings is part of being like us. All Mary needs to be was one who fears God, has faith and is pure in body, NOTHING more, which gives glory to God’s Grace. [Luke 1:45]
Immaculate Conception: This is the doctrine that claims Mary was conceived perfectly without Sin. That is she was free from the Sin that was passed through the seed of Adam and is also attributed to have been free from any act of sin through the sanctifying Grace bestowed upon her by God. However the Bible says, “There is NONE who does good, No, NOT one.” Psalm 14:3, “Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt;” Psalm 53:3, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” Eccl. 7:20 And Paul in Romans says, “ALL have SINNED.” [Romans 3:23; 5:12] NOT ONE! Anyone born of the seed of Adam as to have a mother and father is born under SIN, as David in psalm says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in SIN my mother CONCEIVED me.” Psalm 51:5 David showed everyone of us were conceived from a corrupt seed that came through Adam. From which Mary was not exempt, she had a father and mother and a sister. [John 19:25] This is a law that took the Life of the Son of God to break. [Romans 8:2; Hebrews 2:14-15, Romans 7:24-25] To be born of the seed Adam [to be flesh] is to bear the consequence of SIN and DEATH, there is no exemption.
The main problem of this doctrine is that we think Mary in some way contributed to the flesh of Jesus Christ. But this is NOT TRUE, it is the Word that the Holy Spirit formed to be flesh, in the womb of Mary, He is the Seed. As John says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 [Luke 1:35] Just as Adam was formed from the DUST of ground to be a living soul. [Genesis 2:7] [Romans 8:3, Phil. 2:7-8] The Word God took the form of a Man, in the likeness of sinful flesh to be born in the Earth through Mary. Jesus is the Last Adam. [1 Cor. 15:45] All that was required of Mary was to believe, as Elizabeth says to her,“And blessed is the one having believed that there will be a fulfilment to the things spoken to her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45 Meaning Mary does need to be born free from sin nor be perfect in life.
A SINLESS state in the FLESH demands one must be free from the SEED of Adam which UNIQUELY applies ONLY to the Lord Jesus Chris. Last of all Mary herself says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46-47 Only a sinner needs a saviour.
This brings us to the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary, “Greetings, you favoured with grace! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 The word used, “κεχαριτωμένη: charito,”which is normally translated to mean, highly favoured, literally translates to, “having grace bestowed on her.” The word “Χαριτόω: charito” is used twice in the New Testament both times to signify God freely bestowing His Grace. The other is in the letter to Ephesians, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, which [He has freely given us: ἐχαρίτωσεν] in the Beloved One, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:6-7 There are two main differences between these statements, the first is the use of tense, Luke is in perfect passive participle while Ephesians is in Aorist active indicative. The other is the specification of the condition, “in the Beloved.”
Paul says of the coming of the Lord, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born under the Law.” Galatians 4:4 [And] “Now He has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 That is the redemptive work of Christ was completed at an appointed moment in time. And of the application of this Saving Grace that came through Jesus Christ he says, “He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by Grace you are saved through Faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:7-8 [Romans 4:16] That is, it takes FAITH to benefit from the work of Christ. The implication of which is Immaculate Conception by the merit of Christ’s work is IMPOSSIBLE because the GRACE that comes through the work of Jesus Christ must be WILLINGLY received in the hearing of the Gospel. It is forced upon no one, as Peter showed even the dead had to be preached to. “For to this end the GOSPEL was proclaimed EVEN to the DEAD, so that they might be judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but they might live in the spirit according to God.” 1 Peter 4:6 [John 5:28-29]
So Mary CANNOT partake of the Grace that is in Christ without FIRST hearing the Gospel for herself and giving her consent, which makes Immaculate conception in the merit of Christ work an ABSOLUTE ERROR. [Romans 10:8-17] Adam and Eve gave their CONSENT to the devil when they disobeyed God to eat the forbidden fruit and fell into SIN. And everyone born of their seed must EQUALLY give their CONSENT to God in believing the Gospel in order to be SAVED. Second, a PERFECT TENSE in Greek is used to describe a PAST completed action with PRESENT effect. The action precedes the application, which means Christ’s redemptive work CANNOT be used to justify Mary’s birth, because she precedes the event. As shown above, even the dead had to wait until Christ preached to them the Gospel after the fact, for which they were ALL looking forward to. And Paul showed children are blessed according to the covenant they are born into, so Mary was born according to the Law NOT Grace. [1 Corinthians 7:14]
Mary was selected by the Grace of God bestowed upon her to be the mother of the Lord. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 When Jeremiah heard the call of God, he was ALREADY sanctified to be a prophet, which is the SAME concept that applies to Mary’s call. [a Perfect tense] The point is Mary was selected by the Grace of God to perform this ROLE even before she was born as Paul says of his own election, “When God, the One having selected me from my mother’s womb and having called me by His GRACE.” Galatians 1:15 And Gabriel elaborates in saying, “Fear not, Mary; for you have found favour with God.” Luke 1:30 Nevertheless this does not make her to be different from any other women, as Elizabeth greets her saying, “Blessed are you AMONG women.” Luke 1:42 [J.p] says, not above or different but among.
So what does this being bestowed with Grace mean? The book of Genesis records, “Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8 This did not mean Noah was perfect. God said to Abraham, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 This did not mean Abraham was perfect. Moses also says to God, “You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.” Exodus 33:12 And we know Moses was well pleasing to God even when he was an infant. [Act 7:20] Yet when he grew up he killed a man. The point is, being bestowed with Grace is to find favour in sight of God as to be counted blameless in His sight DESPITE ourselves in order to fulfil the purpose God had in mind. Likewise, Mary was also favoured by Grace to be the mother of the Lord. Grace by definition takes away ANY virtue or merit of ourselves; it has only ONE counterpart that is FAITH. [1 Cor. 1:26-29]
Sin Offering: The other concept that is contrary to the doctrine of Immaculate Conception is the offering Mary made when the Lord was born. [Luke 2:23-24] The Law says, “And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a SIN offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean. [from the flow of her blood.]” Leviticus 12:8 The point is Mary presented an offering for SIN to ATONE for an aspect that came through the fall of Adam, an Immaculately Conceived person would not need that. They would be free from ALL consequences of the fall.
Is Mary the Second Eve? This view ASSUMES that Eve had a perfect sinless state APART from Adam. Eve was taken from Adam’s ribs to be made of his flesh and bone, so Eve’s immaculate state was ENTIRELY dependent on Adam, what he was SHE IS. [Genesis 2:23-24] Eve does NOT precede Adam —you CANNOT separate Eve from Adam nor can you separate Mary from the nature of SIN that came through him. It is when the HEAD Adam ate the forbidden fruit that they BOTH realised that they had SINNED. [Genesis 3:6-7] The HEAD determines the state of the BODY. It is on this basis we also take on the nature of the Last Adam, what He is we are. [1 John 4:17] The Church is the Second Eve, the wife of the Last Adam: the Lord Jesus Christ, NOT His mother. [Ephesians 5:23-32]
The ENMITY: “And I will put ENMITY between you and the WOMAN, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 This doctrine assumes that the enmity between the woman and the serpent was on the account she was perfect without Sin. However Eve, when she was IMMACULATE, was NOT at enmity with the serpent. God spoke these words after both Adam and Eve fell, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Genesis 3:7 Therefore the ENMITY must specify a condition by which it NOW creates CONFLICT between the woman and the serpent, which is the LAW. [Ephesians 2:1-3]
Paul says, “Is the Law sin? Never may it be! But I have not known SIN, if not by Law. And indeed, I had not been conscious of covetousness if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, having taken an occasion by the commandment, produced in me all covetousness; for apart from the Law, sin is dead.” Romans 7:7-8 — What Paul is saying is the LAW put me at ENMITY with the nature of the serpent [sin] that dwelt in me. The result of which was, Sin through the Law deceived me and killed me. [vs. 9-10, 21-24] This is further supported by the ENMITY that was created between Jew and Gentile. [Galatians 4:28-30] Now, we know the SEED is the Lord, but the LAW had already created enmity between the serpent and the woman “Israel,” according to the flesh. [Romans 9:4-5] So Paul says, ”For He Himself is our peace, having made both one and having broken down the barrier of the PARTITION of HOSTILITY, having annulled in His flesh the law of commandments in ordinances.” Ephesians 2:15 That the LAW defined the separation that was between Gentiles [sinners] and the Jews [covenanted with God] which the Lord Jesus Christ put aside the ENMITY in ABOLISHING the LAW.
The Law defined SIN, in exposing the nature of the devil that dwelt in all our FLESH. So the WOMAN in this statement is not specifically Mary but Israel, who was covenanted to God through the Law. As Paul in Galatians says, “God sent forth His Son, having been born of a WOMAN, having been born UNDER the LAW, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 in which process the Lord crushed the head of the serpent, completing Genesis 3:15. [Hebrews 2:14-15] As the Lord also states that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it. [Matthew 5:17-18] And Paul writes, “For of the Law being powerless in that it was weak through the flesh, God, having sent His Son in likeness of sin of flesh and for sin, condemned SIN in the flesh, so that the righteousness of the Law should be fulfilled in us not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4 Which resulted in SIN being put away, and a New Covenant being established. [Hebrews 9:14-15, 26]
So Mary was in NO WAY singled out for ENMITY against the devil except that which was defined according to the Law, as EVERY Jewish person was. And from the moment the Lord covenanted with Abraham and his Seed to bring forth the redemption of the world, the Hebrew bloodline was targeted by the devil. [Genesis 15:13-15; 22:15-18] Starting from their enslavement in Egypt to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah which Revelation 12 describes. Which eventually passed to the Woman’s offspring, those who belong to the body of Christ, the Church. [Revelation 12:17, John 15:18-19]
The Common source of the error for such doctrine is the reason given as, “It is fitting, it is appropriate so it must be.” To this we must consider, God made a murder to be the deliverer of Israel in Moses. God chose the name of an adulterer and murder to be the name by which the Son of God is forever associated with, being called the Son of David. Tamar, who slept with her father in law, Rehab who was a prostitute, Bathsheba who cheated on her husband all were part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of God. All of which is a portrayal of the Great Grace of God. Mary does not need to be sinless, free from original sin or acts of sin only the obedience of faith, for which all were commended.
Assumed into Heaven: This is the most ambiguous of all the Marian doctrines. It is the doctrine that asserts Mary “at the end of her life” was taken up into heaven, body and soul. The Roman Catholic church specifically uses this phrase in an attempt to be ambiguous about the manner in which Mary was assumed to be taken into heaven, whether she was alive or after death.
Now, EVERY act of catching away of the saints is specifically declared in Scripture. Enoch pleased God, so He took him and he was no more. [Genesis 5:24] Elijah is taken in a whirlwind of a chariot of fire. [2 Kings 2:11] The Lord Jesus Christ was taken up in the cloud of heaven. [Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9] The Church is promised to be caught away in the Rapture. [Matthew 24:31, 1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:17] Last of all, the two prophets to be killed by the beast will be raised by the breath of life from God and are commanded to “come up here.” [Revelation 11:12] The point is ALL catching away are clearly described to which neither Moses nor Mary belong. The Bible says of Moses, “So Moses the servant of the Lord DIED there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He BURIED him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his GRAVE to this day.” Deuteronomy 34:5-6 So the logic we do not know where Mary is buried therefore she must be taken up does not stand ground. However, we do not know where Moses or Mary were buried specifically for a reason because people would prostitute themselves at their tombs.
There is a reason why the Roman Catholic church chose to be ambiguous about Mary’s end of life. Admitting she died means she was subject to Sin. “The wages of Sin is death.” Romans 6:23, Romans 8:10, 1 Cor. 15:56 which will invalidate the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. Even though the general consensus is that she did die before being raised back to life and taken up body and soul. [In the exact likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.] The big problem with this is that a sinless body is NOT subject to sickness or old age or death! Christ Died simply because HE MADE His life to be a substitute for ours. He took on our Sin and Death that we might live through Him. [Romans 5:24-25, 2 Core. 5:21, Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 Peter 3:18] APART from the Lord willingly offering Himself for us, Death could not touch Him. The Lord said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. This commandment I received from My Father.” John 10:18
But we CANNOT say the same for Mary. There is no ground for Mary to suffer death if indeed she was born Immaculate free from the Sin of Adam. The reason given as “for the love of her Son” is baseless, since she would have seen Him with His disciples alive and well three days later. As the Lord Himself says, “You also indeed have grief now; but I will see you again, and your HEART will REJOICE, and NO ONE will take your JOY from you.” John 16:22 To die for want of this love is to be without the Holy Spirit. [Romans 5:5] And there is no bigger HERESY than the claim that Mary took part in the suffering of death of the Lord Jesus Christ for humanity’s redemption. Mary’s own sinless state is attributed to Christ’s redemptive work by the Catholic church which was claimed to be applied to her in advance in order for her to be conceived Immaculate. Then the question is how could one attributed to have been redeemed contribute to her own redemption in sharing in the suffering of death of the Lord Jesus Christ? NO, Christ through the Holy Spirit worked our redemption ALONE. [Hebrews 9:14]
However, if indeed she did die [which must be since she was the daughter of Adam], then she can ONLY be raised in the spiritual body, as Paul says, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in decay; it is raised in immortality. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a NATURAL body; it is raised a SPIRITUAL body.” 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 The only catch is this body is obtained in Heaven. [2 Corinthians 5:1] That is a body made in the likeness of the Lord’s. [1 Cor. 15:46-49] Which means her natural body must be sown in the earth. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:50
Last point is, the misapplication of the woman in Revelation 12 to be Mary. And the fact the woman was seen in heaven is associated with the ascension of Mary. However, not only the woman was seen in heaven but the dragon also and we see him being cast down to the earth and persecuting the woman. And the Child that was described in the womb of the woman in heaven is described afterwards as being caught up to God. However, while the rest of the chapter elaborated on the persecution of the woman by the dragon, there is NO description of the woman being caught away to God and heaven. The point is the woman seen in heaven does not signify being taken up, even though the woman is Israel NOT Mary, and DEFINITELY NOT the Church. There is Absolutely nothing in the Scriptures to support this Doctrine of Assumption, it is a fable and an outright lie, the consequence of which is it only serves to deify Mary to be held in the SAME stature as Christ, EVEN to take part in the SALVATION of mankind. This is A GREAT DANGER!
The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “We do not rely on Scripture for our belief in the Assumption,” & “Fortunately, there’s more to justifying the Assumption than Scripture.” There is nothing more to be said! Paul said, “From childhood you have known the SACRED writings, being able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-BREATHED and profitable for INSTRUCTION, for conviction, for CORRECTION, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, having been fully equipped toward every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17 However since they have chosen not to be bound by God-breathed Scripture, there is no common ground, not in Word or in Spirit. What the Catholic church by papal decree has established to be a dogma cannot be revised, meaning they will NEVER accept correction, therefore when Scripture says otherwise they cling to tradition or some rejected apocryphal work even to apparitions [deceitful spirits].
Paul says, “For there will be a time when they WILL NOT endure sound teaching, but according to the own desires, having an itching ear, they will gather around them teachers to suit themselves, and indeed they will TURN AWAY from hearing the TRUTH, and will be TURNED aside unto MYTHS.“ 2 Timothy 4:3-4 There is no better example of this than to cast away the truth of Scripture written by the inspiration of the Spirit in order to believe in traditions and fables of men.
The Apparitions of Mary: To this we must add the various apparitions of Mary throughout the Catholic world that seem to support such doctrines, which are accepted to be a confirmation by God. These apparitions give instructions to build shrines in her honour, affirm doctrines and give direction in acts of prayers.
There is the apparition of Guadalupe, whereby the spirit identified itself as, “the ever virgin, the mother of the true deity.” Requested a temple be constructed at the site in her honour. In the discourse the spirit presented itself as, protector, merciful mother, their health, one that remedies their sorrow and afflictions. This spirit purposely pointed to images and statues for acts of worship. There is the apparition of Medal whereby this apparition inspired a medal to be made which believers are to wear in order to benefit from its grace. The image portrayed in the medal clearly portrays Mary as having the prominent position, even crushing the serpent’s head which is an act achieved by Christ alone in the working of salvation. The medal displays the letter “M” interlaced in the cross with two hearts represented below it, one representing Christ’s the other Mary’s clearly giving EQUAL credit to Mary in the act of salvation. With the writing that states Mary was conceived without sin and asking for her to pray for sinners. This spirit encouraged idolatry in the trinket and PERVERTED the doctrine of salvation.
The last example is the apparition of Fatima, whereby this spirit sought to encourage a devotion to the prayer of the rosary, devotion to the immaculate heart of Mary and the encouragement of offering of penance, reparation [payments] to be made in order to save sinners, and to supplicate God for the offences mankind were committing. There were obvious signs that this was a deceptive spirit, since one of the children that saw it reported to have lost the peace and joy they had before and were plagued by nightmares where the devil was laughing in his deception of them. As a result the children subjected their bodies to harsh conditions to appease the Lord to which the spirit claimed God was well pleased. The main purpose of this apparition was to NULLIFY the Grace of God in Christ Jesus: where payment is offered Grace is made null and void. [Romans 11:6, Revelation 21:6]
The concept that ties all these together for us is, the event described in Chapter 8 in the third trumpet, “A great star fell out of heaven, burning like a torch. And it fell upon a third of the rivers, and upon the springs of waters…and many of the men DIED from the WATERS, because they were made BITTER.” Rev. 8:10,11 As we have described above, it means the corruption of teaching through which many are made to fall, “died.” And Paul makes this point clear saying, “But the SPIRIT expressly STATES that in later times some will DEPART from the FAITH, giving HEED to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, in the hypocrisy of liars, having been seared in the own conscience, forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods that God created for reception with thanksgiving BY the FAITHFUL and those KNOWING the TRUTH.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3 He also said, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 12:14 That is Satan will appear to instruct people in the ways of righteousness and acts of devotion to God.
Consider the example the Lord chose to give to us, forbidding marriage and selective eating, which on the face of it seems harmless, we might even consider it to be an expression of great devotion to God, but the Spirit says it is a product of liars with a seared conscience. This simple act has great implication because it is an expression of Law through which the covenant of God’s Grace was broken. The Lord gave a similar example saying, “Why also do you break the commandment of God on account of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honour the Father and mother’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, in death must end!’ But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to the father or mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift,” he shall not honour his father or his mother.’ And you made void the commandment of God on account of your tradition.” Matthew 15:3-6 Likewise such teachings appear as an expression of righteous devotion to God but in effect they have made the grace of God of no value, through the commandments of men and doctrines of demons. [Collossians 2:23]
These are all deceptive spirits that seek to mislead people away into destruction by affirming false doctrines. These apparitions like Satan seek after its own honour in asking for shrines and temples be built to commemorate the vision, encourage idolatry in statues and images and trinkets. [John 7:18, John 8:50] John specifically tells us “DO NOT believe EVERY spirit, TEST the spirits.” 1 John 4:1 And there is no other ground other than the truth of Scripture by which we can test these spirits, which makes being bound to the SCRIPTURES of UTTER importance. It is deviation from this that opens us wide to all sorts of deceptions, as portrayed in the four Marian doctrines, and the willingness for the Roman Catholic church to embrace these obvious deceptions as signs from God. This is the AGE of the SPIRIT, meaning it is the Holy Spirit Himself that seeks the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ, [John 5:32; 16:13-15] And if Mary was indeed truly to be venerated, prayed to and devotion made to her, the Holy Spirit would have been the Agent to do it, NOT herself.
Veneration vs. Worship: The last point in the doctrines of immorality is how the Catholic church LULLS people into SLEEP of DEATH by deceiving them that there is a difference between worship and veneration. The idea being the veneration given to Mary is less than the worship offered to God therefore ACCEPTABLE to God. When in reality even this is contrary to what is actually practised, the prayer of the rosary being evident, 10 hail Mary’s to every Lord’s prayer. Zephaniah says, “In the same day I will punish all those who LEAP over the threshold, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.” Zephaniah 1:9 And Ezekiel says, “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.” Ezekiel 8:17 The point is the simple act of desiring not to step on a threshold OR smelling some tree branch was an offence to God. There is no difference between veneration and worship: an act of bowing and kneeling before a statue or image, to touch or kiss or burn a candle to it is an act of UNFAITHFULNESS, it is IMMORALITY. The prayers and acts of devotions we perform reveals the true heart of the matter, that is where we place our TRUST.
In the days of Babylon when Judah was exiled from their land. There was an incident where those who escaped the captivity of the Nebuchadnezzar, gathered around Jeremiah and sought to hear a word from the Lord on what they ought to do. However they rejected the word Jeremiah gave them saying, “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.” Jeremiah 44:16-17 The point is even though they knew the Lord and called on Him in trouble, but they trusted in another, “the Queen of Heaven.” This is the sort of practice the Roman Catholic church encourages, through the Doctrine of Mary, they know the Lord but they put their trust in Mary, and such practices will be the cause for the fall of MANY in corrupting the Gospel of Grace.
Peter said, “And there is salvation in NO OTHER, for there is NOT ANOTHER NAME under heaven having been given among men, by which it behoves us to be SAVED.” Acts 4:12 There is no grounds whereby angels from above or below, or even Mary herself are given a place to share in salvation of mankind, that they become partakers of veneration/worship that is only due to the Lord Jesus Christ. [Phil. 2:8-11]
The Woman.
“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a WILDERNESS, and I saw a WOMAN sitting upon a SCARLET beast being full of names of blasphemy, having SEVEN heads and TEN horns. And the woman was clothed in PURPLE and SCARLET, and adorned with GOLD and PRECIOUS STONE and PEARLS, holding a GOLDEN CUP in her hand, being full of ABOMINATIONS and the impurity of her sexual immorality. And upon her FOREHEAD a NAME was written, a mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES, AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” [vs. 3-5]
The Second expression by which the main character of this chapter is identified is, the description given of a “WOMAN sitting upon a SCARLET beast.” This is to describe the physical location of the Great City, the kingdom of Rome, which John affirms at the end of this chapter, saying “the woman whom you saw is the great city, having kingship over the kings of the earth.” The seven headed beast is an expression for the seven mountains, a physical location upon which the city is found. While the Great Prostitute is an expression of a profession, the manner she exerts her influence over the nations of the world, through the Roman Catholic faith. Finally the Beast that carries the Woman the Great City Rome also represents a vast period of time which we will be explained later.
The Wilderness: [Subjective] a wilderness is a dry, waterless place. When Israel went out of Egypt she went into the wilderness. The Lord said to them, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” Exodus 19:4 and Jeremiah remembering this moment says, “I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.” Jeremiah 2:2 The point we want to make is, Israel left the abundance of the rivers of Egypt to go out to a Natural Wilderness, a dry waterless place that was not sown to be with the Lord. Paul says of Moses, “By faith Moses, having become grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, having chosen to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of sin, having esteemed the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.” Hebrews 11:2-26
However here the Spirit carries John to a wilderness to see Great Babylon sitting on a scarlet beast. The wilderness in this instant is not a natural one but a spiritual wilderness, as Jeremiah says of Israel, “But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the Lord. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of LIVING WATERS, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold NO WATER.” Jeremiah 2:11-13 Likewise Great Babylon has left the abundance of the Lord to seek after natural things. The wilderness is the expression of her spiritual state, to be poor, blind and naked. Israel’s true riches in the wilderness was the Lord Himself, who was a shed by day, light by night, who rained manna on them and brought out water from the Rock, which Paul says has a spiritual significance. [1 Cor. 10:1-4] However, Great Babylon has chosen the fleeting pleasure of sin, in covetous gains and abandoned the true riches of Christ. This will be evident later in the Golden Cup the woman holds.
Woman on a Scarlet Beast having SEVEN heads and TEN horns: The main point of this is to portray a vast amount of time. Starting from the Rome of John’s day to the final days of this AGE. The beast that carries the woman is the angel Abaddon, identified in Revelation 9:11; 11:7 and 13:1-8 who was the prince of the people of Rome. [Daniel 7:7-8; 9:26] The same beast that was in the days of Rome is again described here carrying the same woman in the final days.
SCARLET: Scarlet as an expression for Sin can be illustrated in the story when Israel came out of Egypt. Moses commanded them saying, “And you shall take a BUNCH of HYSSOP, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.” Exodus 12:22 That is before the Law was given, there was no scarlet wool mentioned, as Paul in Roman writes, “For until the Law, sin was in the world; but SIN is NOT imputed, there being NO LAW.” Romans 5:13 However at the inauguration of the Law Paul writes, “For of every commandment having been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, having taken the blood of calves and of goats, with WATER and SCARLET WOOL and HYSSOP, he sprinkled both the book itself and all the people.” Hebrews 9:19 Now, water and scarlet wool are introduced to represent the word of God and our sinful deeds because under the Law [water] Sin [scarlet] are NOW imputed. [Hebrews 9:15] [J.p]
As we have said previously between chapter 12 that describes the Red Dragon persecuting the woman [Israel] and her offspring [the Church] and Chapter 13 the rise of the final kingdom of Iron and Clay there is a vast period of 2000 years. This period can be illustrated in the fall and rise of Abaddon.
Sin was the power through which the devil ruled the world. Paul writes, “So that through His death He might destroy the one holding the POWER of DEATH, that is, the devil, and might set free those who all their time to live were subject to slavery through fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15 [1 Cor. 15:56] So, Christ by setting us free from Sin has taken away the sting of death. “But now He [Christ] has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the PUTTING AWAY SIN by the SACRIFICE of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 This is the fulfilment of the event that was first spoken of by God in the garden, when Sin first entered the world saying, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall BRUISE your head, and you shall BRUISE His heel.” Genesis 3:15 And the crushing of the head of the devil is expressed in Daniel, “I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” Daniel 7:11 That is the Beast Abaddon was at the consummation of the ages, through whom the devil raised himself against the Prince of the host, and caused the casting down of third of the stars of heaven. [Daniel 8:10-11, Revelation 12:4] After which we see the Lord receiving the Kingdom and the beginnings of the Age of Grace. [Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 5:6-7]
Paul describes this period of Grace as, “Now all things are of God, the One having reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and having given to us the ministry of reconciliation: how that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT reckoning their trespasses to them, and having put into us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 That is to say, for the last 2000 years God was NOT looking at our sins, He was NOT imputing it to us. He was dealing with EVERYONE of us in His Grace. [Romans 5:8-9] So when this period is closed God says, “Babylon the great was REMEMBERED before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.” Rev. 16:19 [And] “For her SINS have been heaped as high as heaven, and God has REMEMBERED her iniquities.” Rev. 18:5 God who chose not to look at our SINs for over 2 millennia now remembers the sins of Great Babylon, from her vicious acts against Jerusalem to the blood she spilt of the martyrs of the Jesus and every acts of immorality through which she misled the world is now brought to light in order to recompense her for all her deeds. [Revelation 19:2]
Sin is the nature of the evil one working through us just like righteousness is the nature of God working through us. [Romans 7:20, Ephesians 2:2-3] So we see the woman sitting on a scarlet beast, the nature of sin that works in her.
Adornment of the Woman: The next point we will consider is the clothing of the woman and the jewels that adorn her. Previous studies have compared the woman against the priestly garments of the Law. “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked.” Exodus 28:5-6 And have pointed out that the colour blue is missing, from the clothing that adorned the woman which represents heaven. [D.p] However this approach is somewhat flawed because it muddles two aspects of the same woman. There is a difference between the Woman which is a portrayal of the Great City Rome and the Prostitute which is an aspect of her profession, the Roman Catholic church. Meaning, if we were to draw a parallel between her and the priestly garments of the Law, we would have compared the attire of the prostitute NOT the woman. That is the Woman is comparable to Jerusalem while the prostitute is comparable to the Law, yet the SAME woman.
So when John says, “the woman was clothed in PURPLE and SCARLET, and adorned with GOLD and PRECIOUS STONE and PEARLS.” He is describing the great beauty of the city of Rome, her carved images, the artworks, her streets, her great cathedrals and so on. Bearing in mind that we can SUPPOSE John was seeing the woman in the final days represented in the beast that is to come, meaning he was witnessing her in ALL of her PRESENT glory, to the point John says, “I marvelled with GREAT wonder.” John would not have been this amazed if it was speaking of the Great Prostitute, then he would have seen her idolatrous practices, her own boast of self righteousness, and the stain of all her acts of abominations. [D.p] also points to this fact and explains the excessive way this woman is adorned and relates it with chapter 18 with merchants and souls of men and so on and how she is aesthetically pleasing. Meaning she stirs the soul not the spirit. Rome is called the eternal city, she is called the holy city not because she is any of those things but because she stirs the souls of mankind. People are amazed at her great art and buildings, saying, “it is as if it was touched by the finger of God,” yet they are not changed, nor have they considered the dangers of her doctrines yet like John they see the CITY not the prostitute.
A theologian called Ian Paul commenting on this chapter compared the description of the woman dressed in purple and scarlet adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls to the New Jerusalem, the TRUE bride of Christ, that comes out of heaven, who was also adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls. [Revelation 21:18-21] The City that comes out from heaven to the harlot city that was left on earth. The significance of this comparison should tell us the harlot simulates, appears, resembles CHRISTIANITY, not the Law of Judaism or any other religion but the Christian faith, the bride of the Lord, which Rome claims to be on earth. It is an illustration of the example the Lord gave of the ten virgins, 5 that were left and five that were taken, similar in all aspects except the wise were the ones that were born of the Spirit. [Matthew 25:1-13]
The colour Purple is used as an expression for royalty, it is an expression of riches and status. King Solomon describing royalty, writes, “Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, And the hair of your head is like purple;” Song of Solomon 7:5 But the most clear expression is from the New Testament, when the Roman soldiers sought to mock the Lord. “And they put on Him PURPLE, and having twisted together a CROWN of thorns, they placed it on Him, and they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Mark 15:17-18 So we see the woman dressed in PURPLE in respect to her riches and royalty. Now, Matthew also gives a different description of the same event saying, “And having stripped Him, they put a SCARLET ROBE around Him. And having twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and having bowed the knees before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Matthew 27:28-29 The colour Scarlet as described above is in respect to SIN. Isaiah says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 The point is they put it on the Lord to signify He was made SIN with our sins, pointing to the scarlet wool of the Law.
The elder said of the great multitude dressed in white and singing praises to God, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14 So the implication here is that the Woman is still dipped in her SINS and has not been cleansed by the blood of the Lord. And the Gold, Precious stones and Pearls are an expression of her luxurious living. Gold normally has a spiritual significance of divine righteousness however here it is an expression of abundant riches. And all these three aspects are mentioned in the next chapter, “The kings of the earth [PURPLE] have committed sexual immorality with her; [SCARLET] and the merchants of the earth have been enriched through the power of her luxury. [Gold, precious stone and pearls]” Revelation 18:3
The Golden Cup of Fury: The Golden cup in her hand is an expression for the righteous judgement of God. The previous chapter ended with, “Babylon the great [Rome] was remembered before God, to give her the CUP of the WINE of the FURY of His wrath.” Revelation 16:19 The fact the cup is NOW in her hand is to signify the TIME has come for Great Babylon to be punished. Jeremiah says, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: “Take this wine CUP of FURY from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.” Jeremiah 25:15-16
The content of the Golden Cup, “being full of abominations and the impurity of her sexual immorality,” is an expression on what ground the righteous wrath of God has come upon the woman. This is where the Woman and the Prostitute meet, in the acts of her deeds. The impurity of her sexual immorality as described above is in reference to the BROKEN covenant of Grace through which she was once betrothed to God. That she by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrine of demons have violated her covenant. And we have described how the unfaithfulness of the Roman Catholic church was a cause by which the wrath of God came upon those who dwell upon the earth. Now, we see the woman herself ripping the rewards of her immorality with the cup in her hand.
[D.p] associates the abomination in respect to what she has assimilated into the faith from all the places she went. The Lord warned Israel saying, “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” Deuteronomy 18:9-11 Abomination can mean all manner of sinful acts, however the application here is in reference to their pagan practices. And [D.p] in his teaching points out that the false church has incorporated pagan rituals along with biblical doctrines that in most places where the Catholic faith is proclaimed, they do not know the difference.
The Marking on her forehead: The mark on the forehead is what gives an identity of faith. Every servant of God is known by the mark that is put upon their foreheads. “And they will see His face, and His name will be on their FOREHEAD.” Revelation 22:4 And those who belong to the beast are also recognised by the mark they bear upon themselves. “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his FOREHEAD or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God.” Revelation 14:9-10 So the Woman, the Great City Rome bears on her forehead the expression of her broken faith toward God. The mystery: “Babylon The Great, The Mother Of The Prostitutes, And Of The Abominations Of The Earth.” The mystery [subjective] is how the same woman can apply to mean both Rome and the Roman Catholic faith, that is Great Babylon the city as well as the Prostitute the faith she represents. [J.p] teaches that BABYLON means CONFUSION by mixing. That is this woman is in great confusion, she has mixed Law with Grace that she is neither justified by her works nor by the grace of God. And she being deceived by evil spirits has also mixed the worship of God with idolaters pagan practices and has lost her way.
The Mother of Prostitutes is in respect to all other branches that came out of her. The Roman Catholic church claim to have unbroken succession from the days of the Apostles is also the ground that makes her to be the root of ALL unfaithfulness toward God. We have described how the Marian Doctrine was one of the core aspects of idolatry and the main cause of sexual immorality within the church. Though the Roman Catholic church is the source and the main advocate for such belief, she is not alone. One of the main examples is Eastern Orthodox churches, who follow similar doctrines and implement the same practice of worship as her. There are also some Anglicans as well as even some Lutherans who still hold to the same belief which came through the Roman Catholic church. Though, through the reformation they had ground to reevaluate their beliefs, however it seemed most have found it difficult to totally separate themselves from the erroneous teaching that came while being part of the Catholic faith. The common denominator between all these denominations is their belief in the Marian doctrine. So Great Babylon is referred to as the mother of all acts of immorality within the christian faith.
Of the Abomination of the Earth: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT reckoning their trespasses to them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 Paul preached to the Gentile world that does not know God saying, “Therefore, being offspring of God, we ought not to consider the Divine Being to be like to gold or to silver or to stone, a graven thing of man’s craft and imagination. So indeed God, having overlooked the times of IGNORANCE, now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:29-30 The essence of these statements is, to show the fallen world practises all manner of false religions and does abominable acts but they do it without knowledge of the Lord. [Rom. 10:14-13] The implication being the Roman Catholic church is not responsible for introducing idolatry, image worship, sorceries or any manner of religious rituals, they were already in the world. However, the Abomination of the Earth was attributed to the Woman, because they are acts she inspires in relation to the Covenant of Grace, acts she assimilated and justified. [2 Peter 2:21]
God said to Judah you have acted more shamefully than your sisters Sodom and Samaria. He said this because Judah had the Law and Temple of God in her midst, so her acts of violation were far more Abominable because she had done it with her eyes wide open. [Ezekiel 16:42-56] This is the same concept that applies here. That is the Roman Catholic church knowing the Covenant of Grace, yet have turned around to practise all manner of useless religious rituals produced by false doctrines of demons and this is considered an act of abomination. [D.p] used to teach God will hold us responsible for what we know to be true. [Luke 12:42-48] So the Woman is considered to be the mother of Prostitutes and the acts of Abomination of the Earth.
And I saw THE WOMAN being DRUNK with the BLOOD of the SAINTS, and with the BLOOD of the WITNESS of JESUS. And having seen her, I marvelled with great wonder.” [vs.6]
Here we see the SECOND aspect of the sins of the Woman. That is God has remembered her historical acts of brutality, in the blood of the Saints and the blood of the witness of Jesus which she spilt, though NOT historical from John’s point of view. The witnesses of Jesus are described SEPARATELY to the Saints meaning John is describing essentially two distinct groups of people, Saints and Witnesses.
So when John says here “the Woman” he is speaking in terms of the Roman Empire, the Great City. And what he is describing here is the fulfilment of the event that he first described in Revelation 12. “And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth the male Child…. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and he went to make to war with the rest of her children keeping the commandments of God and holding the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 12:13,17 The commandment he is referring here to is the commandment to love one another, which the Lord instructed and Paul and John repeatedly affirmed, not to be confused with works of Law. The Woman here is described as being DRUNK, this is not an aspect of judgement as in the previous verses the result of drinking from the Golden cup of the fury of God but the expression of the weight of her sins, a show of the extent of her brutality against Jews and Christians. [Isaiah 24:20]
We have explained in the first chapter that when John wrote the book of Revelation, Jerusalem was not destroyed and the Christians had yet to come under the scrutiny of the Roman Empire. So what John was witnessing here is Events that are about to shortly take place according to his time. This is what Daniel prophesied saying, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the SAINTS of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the SAINTS shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25 That is Daniel and John INTERSECT on the events of AD 70. Which John described above as, “the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth the male Child.” So the Woman of John is a reference to the Saints of Daniel. The end of which was, the destruction Rome brought to bear upon Jerusalem and Judea, which Daniel describes saying, “when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered.” Daniel 12:7 So when John says here the woman was drunk with the BLOOD of the SAINTS, he is specifically referring to the brutality of Rome against Jews in the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. [Luke 21:24]
The BLOOD of the witness of Jesus is referring to the subsequent event that came after the destruction of Jerusalem which was the persecutions of Christians by the Roman Empire. Which John referred to as, “He [the dragon] went to make to war with the rest of her children keeping the commandments of God and holding the testimony of Jesus.” So the term Saints here should not be mistaken with the identification of Christians since it was Jerusalem and Judea that was given into the hands of the Romans not Christians. The persecution of Christians for the sake of being Christians is distinctive from the destruction of Jerusalem as Rev 12:17 showed. The distinction between Jew and Gentile is abolished only in Christ. So Jews are perceived as ones who are covenanted to God, as Paul says, “For as regards the gospel, they are enemies on account of you; but as regards election, beloved on account of the patriarchs.” Romans 11:28 That is though they are elected according to the patriarchs Yet are still subject to the same consequences of being without Christ.
The Beast and the Ten.
“And the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the MYSTERY of the WOMAN, and of the BEAST carrying her, having the seven heads and the ten horns. The BEAST that you saw WAS, and IS NOT, and IS ABOUT to come up out of the ABYSS and go into destruction; and those dwelling on the earth whose names are NOT written in the BOOK of LIFE from the foundation of the world will wonder, seeing the beast which was, and is not, and yet will be.” [vs. 7-8]
Why did John Marvel? John saw the prostitute sitting on many waters first but John did not marvel at seeing her. Then he was carried in the Spirit to the wilderness where he saw the Woman sitting on the beast and when he saw her, he marvelled with great wonder. So the angel seeks to explain to him the MYSTERY of the Woman, and throughout the rest of the chapter the angel intertwines the Woman with the Prostitute that they are actually the same person, not to merit wonder according to her appearance but one relegated to judgement and destruction. The main concept that is relayed in these verses is the vast amount of time that is covered in the description of the Beast as, “WAS, and IS NOT, and IS ABOUT.” The “Was” is referring to its existence from past to the present. “Is Not” is referring to the time of his destruction which is to take place in the present. “Is About” is referring to his second appearance at the end of this Age. This perspective will be substantiated in the next verse in the description of the Sixth head of the beast, described as, “the one is.”
So the Woman: Rome is described as being carried by the Beast of the present day of John all the way to the final days of the Age of Grace. During which the Beast has undergone several stages of existence. From the first instance, in the height of Rome, when he raised himself against the Lord and the people of God. “He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the Host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.” [Daniel 8:11-12,24-25] To the days of his banishment to the bottomless pit for 2000 years, “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the BEAST was SLAIN, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” Daniel 7:11 And the days to come when he will rise again, “IS ABOUT to come up out of the ABYSS and go into destruction.” [Revelation 17:8; 9:11; 11:7; 13:1-4]
The final point being the reference made to the book of life, which was described in Revelation 13, “And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, of whom their names have not been written from the founding of the world in the book of life of the Lamb having been slain.” Revelation 13:8 which clearly marks the end of the age of Grace, the furthest point of his existence. It is over this vast period of time the Woman is known in two different aspects. Rome the Great City and Empire, as well as Rome of the Roman Catholic faith which has existed for the best part of the last 2000 years. And in the days to come both Rome the great City and the Prostitute the false church will face destruction and tribulation.
“Here is the mind having wisdom: The seven HEADS are seven MOUNTAINS, where the WOMAN SITS on them; and there are seven KINGS. The FIVE are FALLEN, the ONE IS, the OTHER has NOT YET COME; and when he shall have come, it behoves him to remain a little while. And the BEAST which was, and is not, is also himself an EIGHTH, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction.” [vs. 9-11]
The main point the angel is revealing to John is the relationship of the Woman to the Beast. So he relays this information in two aspects, first he equates the heads of the beast to mountains to give a physical location of the Great City Rome, described in the seven mountains that are found in the city. Rome was called in ancient times the City of Seven Mountains. He then describes the Seven Heads of the Beast as Kings, meaning princely heavenly hosts. That is the kingdoms of the past have a king, a princely heavenly host that upheld them. This is evident in the writings of Daniel, the prince of the kingdom of Persia [Daniel 10:13], the prince of Greece [Daniel 10:20] and the people of the prince who is to come, Rome [Daniel 9:26].
[J.s] describes the heads as kingdoms that had direct interaction with Israel and have been a cause by which Israel was enslaved, subjected, dispersed or destroyed. Zechariah wrote, “Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were FOUR HORNS. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” So he answered me, “These are the horns that have SCATTERED Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:18-19 When Zechariah wrote this Judah was freshly back from being exiled in Babylon of Chaldeans and was presently under the rule of the Mede and Persian Empire. So we can identify the Five HEADS that have fallen from the four horns and the writings of Daniel as, Egypt that enslaved Israel, Assyria that exiled and dispersed Israel and Samaria, Babylon [The Head of Gold] that exiled and dispersed Judah and Jerusalem, Mede and Persia [The Chest and Arms of Silver] that currently had them under subjection. Finally the fifth head, the kingdom of Greece [Belly and Thigh of Bronze] that destroyed the Mede and Persians to rule over their empire, which included Israel.
The Sixth head is the one identified as “one is” referring to the kingdom that presently ruled during the days of John which is the Roman Empire [The leg of Iron]. An important point to bear in mind is that Daniel calls the beast, the prince of the people of Rome. “And the people [Romans] of the prince [Abaddon] who is to come shall destroy the city [Jerusalem] and the sanctuary. [The Temple]” Daniel 9:26] The Seventh head is the one we identified in Revelation 13 under the Second beast with two horns. [Rev. 13:11-15] That is, this beast comes to be after the fall of the Roman Empire, and is comparable to the false church because it is also a kingdom of faith, that is Islam and is identified as a kingdom of Clay by Daniel. [Daniel 2:41] John in Revelation 13 shows how closely the two beasts work together in the final days. The second beast, the kingdom of Clay, serves to establish the first beast, the kingdom of Iron to be worshipped as God. [Rev. 14:9-11]
Last of all the angel describes an 8th appearance in a seven headed beast. This is NOT to say there are eight different kings [heavenly hosts], BUT simply pointing out that Abaddon will be the eighth king to be manifested as a kingdom on earth. And the angel explains this saying, “The BEAST which was, and is not, is also himself an eighth,” the angel literally replaced the term he used before as “ IS ABOUT to come up out of the ABYSS,” with “himself is an eighth.” That is the angel Abaddon, the prince of the people of Rome will have an opportunity to appear twice, since he was once crashed and thrown into the bottomless pit, [Daniel 7:12] but now will ascend once more, from the bottomless pit to rule and go to his destruction, described in the first beast of Revelation 13:1-8. Completing the final part of the kingdom, the Feet of Iron and CLAY. [Daniel 2:37-45]
“And the TEN HORNS which you saw are TEN KINGS who have NOT YET received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings ONE HOUR, ALONG with the BEAST. These have one MIND, and they shall give up their power and authority to the beast. These will make WAR with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” [vs. 12-14]
Here the angel identifies the ten horns of the Beast as ten kings who have yet to come to their kingdom. Meaning he is referring to the future aspect of the beast which was described as, “IS ABOUT to come up out of the ABYSS and go into destruction.”
The main thing we need to remember about the angel Abaddon is that he is ALWAYS represented with ten horns. When Daniel first prophesied of the coming of the Roman Empire, he said, “The FOURTH Beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the TEN HORNS that were on its head, and the OTHER HORN which came up, before which THREE fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.” Daniel 7:19-20 This is describing the aspects of the Beast as he “was” and “is Not” in relation to the Empire of Rome. And the coming of the Beast, “IS ABOUT to,” which this verse is referring to was described in Revelation 13 as, “And I saw rising out of the sea a BEAST, having ten horns, and seven heads, and on its horns, ten diadems, and upon its heads, names of blasphemy. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like a bear’s, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion.” Revelation 13:1-2
There are important differences between the two appearances of the same Beast, the angel Abaddon. Note: in his first appearance, he was described as having an Eleventh Horn which came up after the Ten. These horns are a representation of kings, and in Rome’s case Emperors, and the last horn “Emperor” bears a striking resemblance to every description given of the Antichrist, the Beast himself. [Daniel 7:25, Thess. 2:4, Rev. 13:5-6] That the 11th Emperor and the Beast complimented each other to be as one. This is one of the many reasons why people in the past have muddled the prophecies of Daniel and John into one. However, the one John is describing here has only ten horns, the Eleventh being the Beast the angel Abaddon himself manifested as MAN in the world, in the final days.
There is a further difference in the manner the ten kings are represented according to Daniel and John. Daniel describes the kings rising in a CONSECUTIVE manner, from the same kingdom and the eleventh rising before whom three emperors fell. [Daniel 7:24] However the beasts which John describes here have the ten kings in conjunction with one another to reign along with the Beast. “receive authority as kings one hour, ALONG with the BEAST.” The significant point being it is not a single nation but a collaboration of nations. As we have described before THIS is what represents the European Union, where kings freely come together building a closer union to the point that in the final days “these have one MIND” and through a democratic process they WILLINGLY hand all authority to the beast to come. Europe is the Kingdom of Iron.
It is important for us to consider that WE DO NOT KNOW what the world will be like after the Rapture and the immediate atrocities that will come upon the world after that event. It is VERY WRONG to suppose the world structures we see now will continue as normal. Yet we can suspect nations that have bonded together with a common goal may survive and be stronger as a result. Europe, represented by ten strong kings of the kingdom of Iron with its ATHEISTIC ideologies and the kingdoms of Clay represented with the common faith of ISLAM. Global does not necessarily mean global. GOD described the kingdoms of the past [Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome] as ruling over the whole earth, not accounting the vastness of Asia, the far reaches of Africa, and the various dynasties of China. The kingdoms of the world are described as they relate to the centre of the world ISRAEL. And EVEN in the final days the two beasts that are mentioned are the kingdoms of Iron and Clay that will rise to surround Israel, “to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” [Rev. 13:7]
One Hour: [Subjective] we have in the previous chapter explained that one hour is an expression for the 11th hour, meaning the LAST hour. In Revelation 9 the fifth trumpet described the release of locusts into the world to torment mankind who have not been sealed with the mark of God. The confusion and havoc these evil spirits bring about is described as, “They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek, he has the name Apollyon.” Revelation 9:11 That is to say they are his subjects and they do his bidding. Abaddon is not yet revealed and will NOT be revealed until the Church is taken away but in this final hour we are seeing the fringes of his work and the quiet ascent and greater solidarity of Europe. [2 Thess. 2:6] There may be troubled waters of Russia and China but these are mere misdirections of a magician, with his greatest trick hidden in plain sight.
They will make WAR with the Lamb: This is the event that is first described in Revelation 16, when the dragon, the beast and the false prophet go out to the world to gather an army to invade Israel. [Revelation 16:13-14,16] This will usher in the return of the Lord with all His saints, “those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” [Rev. 19:13-14] And the armies of Iron and Clay with their respective leaders the Beast Abaddon and false prophet will be defeated on that great day of God Almighty. [Daniel 2:44-45, Rev. 19:19-20, 2 Thess. 2:8] This will be followed by a 1000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on Earth from the City of Jerusalem.
The Judgement.
“And he says to me, “The WATERS that you saw where the PROSTITUTE SITS are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the TEN HORNS that you saw, AND the BEAST, these will HATE the PROSTITUTE, and will make her DESOLATE and NAKED, and will eat her flesh, and will BURN her with FIRE. For God has put into their HEARTS to accomplish His purpose, and to do one purpose, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. And the WOMAN whom you saw is the GREAT CITY, having KINGSHIP over the kings of the earth.” [vs. 15-18]
There are two main expressions by which the main character of this chapter is identified. The first is “the Great Prostitute, the one sitting upon many waters.” In the previous verse we have shown this means the Roman Catholic faith, and how her acts of unfaithfulness was a cause by which many in the world are made to fall, having taken part in her “sexual immorality” which is acts of spiritual adultery. The WATERS are an expression for her sphere of influence over the Gentile nations. That is the Prostitute represented the Roman Catholic church that forsook her covenant of Grace, through which she was once betrothed to the Lord and through her doctrines she has corrupted, “influenced” the world.
We have said that the final kingdom of Iron, with ten horns is a kingdom that is built upon the ideologies of Atheism reflecting the nature of the Beast that represents that kingdom. This is where a clear distinction is made between the Prostitute and the Woman, that is the Ten kings and the Beast HATE the Prostitute not the Woman. Not Rome a political force, not Rome the Great City, but Rome the UNFAITHFUL church. To an atheist and to those of a false faith she is an affront, even though she has FALLEN and was Left behind. The Beast: the Antichrist is described as, “the one opposing and exalting himself above every so-called god or object of worship—so as for him to sit down in the temple of God, setting forth that he himself is God.” 2 Thess. 2:4 Which Daniel described the very essence of the Beast Abaddon in the eleventh horn of the Roman Empire. “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.” [Daniel 11:36-39]
The Roman Catholic church has served her purpose; she was the cause by which many in the world are made to fall. “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great, who has given ALL the Gentiles to drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Rev. 14:8 She was captured and deceived by the devil to do his will. [1 Timothy 2:26] As Paul says, “Lest by any means, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity in Christ.” 2 Cor. 11:3 However, now the devil has no purpose for her. Atheism hates God, does not seek to acknowledge Him, and sees anything to do with God to be a hindrance to their purpose. So the Beast, the angel of the people of Rome will HATE the Prostitute, because she represents a faith in God though she has missed the mark and ventured into all manner of idolatrous practices, nonetheless to him ALL manner of worship of God is an affront. So he and the Ten kings of Iron will destroy her and since Rome and the Roman Catholic faith are interlinked, with the City of Vatican in her midst, Rome will be destroyed MAINLY on the account of her.
Jeremiah writes of the destruction of Babylon of the Chaldeans, “For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the NORTH country, and they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain. And Chaldea shall become PLUNDER; All who plunder her shall be satisfied,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:9-10 John also attributes the destruction that is to come on Great Babylon to a collaboration of TEN kings in agreement with the BEAST, the angel Abaddon, that is the nations that belong to the kingdom of Iron. North of Rome is mainland EUROPE, where we will find these TEN kings. Zechariah says of the final battle, “For I have bent Judah, My bow, fitted the bow with Ephraim, and raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you like the sword of a mighty man.” Zechariah 9:13 Greece is a synonym for Europeans described as the body of a Leopard in the First beast, the kingdom of IRON. [Rev. 13:1-2]
When the Lord said, “You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am, you are not able to come. Therefore the Jews said among themselves, Where is He about to go that we will not find Him? Is He about to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and to teach the Greeks?” John 7:34-35 Not among the Romans but the Greeks, even though the whole world was under Roman rule. [John 12:20] Rome was seen as the offshoot of Greece, Daniel wrote, “Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. And OUT of ONE of THEM came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.” Daniel 8:8-9 There is also a parallel we can make Geographically between Babylon of the Chaldeans and Great Babylon. Old Babylon fell into the hands of the Mede and Persians. Persia is east of Babylon while Media with the collaboration of kings are to her NORTH. [Jeremiah 51:27-28] Similarly east of Great Babylon of Rome is Greece and to her NORTH is a collaboration of kings of the European union.
Desolate and Naked: Now, a detailed description of the destruction of the Great City Rome is given in the next chapter. To be desolate and Naked is to be without people, Jeremiah said of the Babylon of Chaldeans, “For out of the north a nation comes up against her, which shall make her land desolate, and no one shall dwell therein. They shall move, they shall depart, both man and beast… Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall NOT be INHABITED, but she shall be wholly desolate.” Jeremiah 50:3,13 And when John says “they will eat her flesh, ” it is to say they will plunder her as Jeremiah described the kings of the north plundering Babylon of the Chaldeans. [Jer. 50:10] Finally they will burn her with fire, “Because of this, her plagues will come in one day, death and misery and famine, and she will be burned up with fire, because mighty is the Lord God, the One having judged her.” Rev. 18:8 So her people will be driven away, she will be made poor and destitute and finally burnt. The end of which is that Rome will NEVER again be inhabited, even during the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth. [Rev. 18:21-23]
God has placed it into their hearts: God is punishing Great Babylon on two counts, the FIRST and foremost is the acts of her sexual immorality, through which she corrupted the world therefore she is given into the hands of those who HATE her. The SECOND is the association of the Great City who has kingship over the kings of the earth, that is Rome the Empire who strengthened herself with the plunder she took from Jerusalem and Judah and bathed her streets with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And God will avenge the brutality of her actions. “He has judged the great prostitute, who had corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His servants.” [Rev. 19:2] The final point is, in case there may be ANY ambiguity to whom this Woman in this passage is referring to, the angel CLEARLY associates the Woman to the GREAT CITY which presently reigned over the kings of the earth, ACCORDING to John’s own time, that is Rome!
Jeremiah says of Babylon of Chaldeans, “Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be HEALED. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgement reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.” Jeremiah 51:8-9 When Israel went into exile into Babylon God instructed them saying, “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” Jeremiah 29:7 And God through Daniel repeatedly testified to Babylon of His reality. In the vision of Daniel only the beast that represented Babylon was made to stand on his two feet and given the heart of a man. [Daniel 7:4] That is an opportunity to know God and be saved. However, king Belshazzar son of Nabuchadnezzar with his lords and concubines mocking God used the temple vessels to drink and honour the gods of gold and silver. So Daniel says to him, “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not HUMBLED your heart, although you KNEW all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven.” Daniel 5:22-23
Likewise, Great Babylon of Rome is also given the same opportunity to know God and be saved. In the Book of Romans where Paul expounded the Covenant of Grace he praised the church in Rome, it had such a great beginning. However she also squandered her opportunity using the SACRED things of God to worship demons and evil spirits, seeking after covetous gains and corrupted the nations of the world with her.
Revelation 18: Destruction of Great Babylon.
This chapter mainly details the destruction of Great Babylon. We have used the writings of Isaiah 47, Jeremiah 50-52, in regards to the prophecies made against Babylon of Chaldeans and Ezekiel 27 in reference to the Luxuries of Tyre as main passages to substantiate our understanding of this chapter.
It is important to address the fact that there are some teachings that attribute Great Babylon to be the ancient Babylon that will be rebuilt, to be a centre of commerce with a mixture of many religions. Such teachings do not take into account Old BABYLON according to GOD’s own word was destroyed NEVER to rise again. “Therefore the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals, and the ostriches shall dwell in it. It shall be inhabited NO MORE forever, nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.” Jeremiah 50:39 And there are fewer still that attribute Great Babylon to be Jerusalem. However, John calls Jerusalem, “The Great City, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” Revelation 11:8 Sodom and Egypt which is an aspect of Sin and Bondage of the Law. [Galatians 4:24-25] Furthermore, the term Great City is used to apply to Gibeon in Joshua 10:2, Nineveh in Jonah 1:2, Jerusalem in Rev. 11:8 and Rome in Rev. 17:18. The point is the term Great City must be used in context and the context here is one who reigns over the kings of the earth according to John’s own time. Therefore, Great Babylon is the spiritual name of Rome and the Roman Catholic faith which she propagates, which many of the Reformists acknowledge.
It is important to address these issues no matter how subtle because they blind us to our true state. We keep looking to the horizon to see a day coming when there will be a great departure and we fail to see we are already in it and have been for some time. The departure is that we have given heed to doctrines that lead us away from the truth of the faith and we have become Christians by nothing more than just a name. [D.p] used to say, if as many as those who claim to be Christians were truly Christians we would not be in the state we are in the present. This statement does have true significance because ONLY Christians can claim they were made into a New Creation.
In the study of this chapter, there will be difficulty in assessing the DUAL aspect of Great Babylon. That is between Rome the Great City and the Roman Catholic faith she propagates. This relationship between the two can be illustrated by the analogy of body and soul, that is they are both one and the same. The body is the Great City, the soul is her faith, and the state of her soul dictates the state of the city.
“After these things I saw another angel descending out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was illuminated from his glory. And he cried out in a mighty voice, saying: “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a HABITATION of demons, and a PRISON of every unclean SPIRIT, and a prison of every unclean BIRD, and a prison of every unclean CREATURE also having been hated. For ALL the nations have DRUNK of the WINE of the WRATH of her sexual IMMORALITY; and the KINGS of the EARTH have committed sexual immorality with her; AND the MERCHANTS of the EARTH have been ENRICHED through the power of her LUXURY.” [vs. 1-3]
This chapter begins by declaring the end of the Great Babylon of Rome. Jeremiah writing of the end of the Babylon of the Chaldeans says, “Therefore the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals, and the ostriches shall dwell in it. It shall be inhabited no more forever, nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.” Jeremiah 50:39 [Isaiah 13:17-22] What Jeremiah describes Babylon to be according to the flesh, John is describing Great Babylon of Rome according to the spirit. Paul says under the New Covenant, “Because to us the wrestling is not against BLOOD and FLESH, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 That is at the CROSS there was a MAJOR shift that took place from FLESH to SPIRIT. Under the Old Covenant Israel’s enemy were other nations and tribes that were outside of the Law as Paul says the Law defined HOSTILITY between Jew and Gentiles, according to fleshly ordinances. [Ephesians 2:15] However under the New Covenant there are no more such differences, no animal that is considered unclean. [Acts 10:14, 1 Timothy 4:4]
So the end of the judgement that comes upon Rome is that she will be a dwelling place “a PRISON” for demons and evil spirits, unclean birds and creatures and like Babylon of Old she too will remain uninhibited. A spiritual wilderness, a desolate place. Isaiah writes, “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the PRISON; After MANY days they will be PUNISHED.” Isaiah 24:21-22
When mankind dies Death takes the body and Hades the soul, this is the place of prison for unsaved mankind. [D.p] This will stay constant until the end of the Ages, no other punishment is exacted on mankind according to the flesh. However this is not so for demons and evil spirits. In the casting out of the demons from the man by the lake of Galilee, the demons and evil spirits said to the Lord that “Have You come here to torment us before the TIME?” Matthew 8:29 [And] “And they were begging Him not to command them to depart into the ABYSS.” Luke 8:31 The point is there is a time appointed for demons and evil spirits to be cast into the Abyss, the days of their torment. When the angel Abaddon was cast into the Abyss Daniel recorded it as, “I watched till the beast was SLAIN, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” Daniel 7:11 He described the Abyss as a burning flame, a place of torment for spirits, an equivalent place given for spirits to simulate death. And Abbadon was counted as, “was not,” and his lifeless body thrown to the burning flame. So they fear this banishment, a place of torment as flesh mankind fears Death and Hades. Daniel said of the 3 other beasts that he saw coming out of the sea, “As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their LIVES were prolonged for a season and a time.” Daniel 7:12 Meaning unlike Abaddon they were not cast into the Abyss, into the burning flame.
However, these evil spirits and demons will not be allowed to roam the earth during the days when the Lord rules on earth but will be shut up in a pit. Isaiah 24:22 clearly showed there is a difference between “being held in prison” and “being a recipient of punishment.” Those from among mankind who have not accepted Christ are held in prison by Death and Hades until the day of judgement comes and are punished along with the devil and his angels in the everlasting fire. “Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41 [Rev.20:12-15] [Subjective] So these demons, evil spirits, unclean birds and unclean creatures that roam the earth MAY have their life spared as with the 3 beasts Daniel described but will be held in prison on earth. As such Great Babylon Rome will become a prison for all demons and evil spirits, a spiritual wilderness, a dry place without water where they will be held until the final day comes.
John gives us 3 reasons why Great Babylon was condemned to such fate. The first and FOREMOST is that she was a cause by which many in the world are made to stumble and fall. The Great Prostitute corrupted the means of their salvation and have made it a cause by which they are made partakers of the WRATH of God. Sexual Immorality is an expression for an act of BREAKING Covenant with God. God said of Israel, “My COVENANT which they BROKE, though I was a HUSBAND to them, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:32 And Great Babylon’s sexual immorality, spiritual adultery is caused by the teachings of demons and evil spirits she entertained. [1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Cor. 10:20] The Second is that the kings, governments and rulers of the people have committed fornication with her. In the previous chapter we have described how rulers took part in her immorality by propagating her teachings. They silenced opposing teachings and took part in her covetous acts to serve their own interests.
There are all manner of religions in the world, mankind has practised idolatry, sorcery, Atheism throughout the AGES, but only Jerusalem and Great Babylon were ever accused of misleading people. God said to Israel, “O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.” Isaiah 3:12 [Jeremiah 50:6-7] We have to understand the only reason God charges them with misleading people is because the way of truth was revealed to them first. Therefore the ONLY reason Great Babylon is accused of deceiving the nations is also because the truth of Christianity was made known to her first. So great Babylon by the MERIT of her charge must by some measure be associated with the Covenant of Grace in Christ Jesus.
The Last point is, the Merchants of the Earth were enriched by her luxury, which is a reference to the gold, precious stones and pearls the Woman in the previous chapter was adorned with. The majority of this chapter is dedicated to describing her ostentatious manner of living, the source of her pride and the cause of her spiritual blindness. The comparable passage that relates to Great Babylon’s relationship with the merchants of the earth is, Ezekiel 27 in regards to Tyre. We need to keep in mind the description of Great Babylon is a combined picture of both Rome the Great City and the Vatican, the source of her immorality. We will make a detailed comparison between Tyre and Great Babylon in verses 11-17. Nevertheless the general concept is her trading, the products she buys and sells.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: “Come out of her, MY PEOPLE, so that you may NOT have FELLOWSHIP in her SINS, and so that you may NOT receive of her PLAGUES. [vs. 4]
The term, “Come out of her, My People” ONLY applies to the Jews. We have shown in previous chapters that after the RAPTURE there will be no more repentance given to the Gentiles. The Jews are brought back to repentance by the preaching of the two witnesses in chapter 11, which in part necessitate for the Jews to return to the land of Israel. Mainly because the rest of the world is going to fall under the judgement of God, where His wrath will be poured out.
In Chapter 7 we have shown how Acts 12 can be used to illustrate the end of the Age, told through the events that surrounds the death of James the brother of John, the imprisonment of Peter, the prayer that was offered for him in the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname is Mark and James the brother of the Lord. And we built the narrative, that at the RAPTURE the Jews have come to realise that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and were in mourning, “They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” Ezekiel 37:11 The result of which is they have gathered in the house of Mary, the Roman Catholic church, one that is left on earth that knows something about the Lord, where prayer to God was offered. [Note]: The Roman Catholic church attributes Mary to be the mother of the church on the account that the Lord entrusted His mother into the hands of John saying to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then He says to the disciple [John], “Behold, your mother.” John 19:26-27 Here we also see them gathered in the house of Mary whose son is named John. We draw this parallel in order to affirm the house of Mary is a picture of the Roman Catholic church. It is on this account the Lord is calling out His people from the MIDST of the Great Prostitute, NOT to have FELLOWSHIP in her SINS and from the MIDST of the Woman, that is the Great City Rome that they may not be destroyed along with her. In Acts 12 Peter instructs those gathered in Mary’s house to go to tell of his release to Jacob [James] the brother of Lord. Jacob is the name by which Israel is known and the Jews are the brethren of the Lord according to the flesh. [Romans 9:5]
The comparable event is when Israel left Babylon of the Chaldeans after 70 years of exile to go back to Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah writes, “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her….We would have HEALED Babylon, but she is NOT healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgement reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.” Jeremiah 51:6,9 There is a very important parallel we can make between Old Babylon and Great Babylon, that is they share in the concept of the possibility of salvation. We stress this point to dispel any thought that seeks to distract the charge away from the Roman Catholic faith. Old Babylon would have been saved according to the knowledge of the Lord revealed in the Law, to sanctify her according to the flesh that she may not be a dwelling place of ostriches, jackals and so on. [Jonah 4:10-11] The same is conferred on Rome that she also may be saved through the knowledge of His Grace that she might not be damned according to the spirit, to become a dwelling place for demons. That is, a possibility of healing was offered through the church in Rome YET they have fallen short through deceptive teachings and doctrines of demons they entertained. Peter says, “who will stealthily introduce destructive heresies, even DENYING the Master having BOUGHT them.” 2 Peter 2:1
God establishes His truth in a many faceted ways that by all means He may dispel any thought we might entertain away from the truth. We might look at the statement of Peter and say, but the Roman Catholic faith has not denied the Lord. In previous chapters we have shown that apostasy was not an act of denying the faith but an act of entertaining false doctrine that led away from the truth of the faith. [1 Timothy 4:1] Paul said to the Galatians, “I am amazed that so quickly you are deserting from the One having called you in the grace of Christ to another gospel.” Galatians 1:6 The Galatians have not denied the Lord yet because they entertained the Law of circumcision Paul said, they have deserted Jesus Christ and have made His Grace to be of no benefit to them. [Galatians 5:2-4] SALVATION is the work of Christ ALONE, the only Man who was perfect in Spirit, Soul and Body to be able to bear the burden of our sins. [Hebrews 9:14] This is a responsibility He alone can bear, so any doctrine that seeks to distract from this TRUTH by implying HIS burden was shared by another is the same as DENYING Him, it is to deny the PRICE He ALONE paid and will be a cause by which MANY will die.
Kings of the Earth.
“For her SINS have been HEAPED as high as heaven, and God has REMEMBERED her INIQUITIES. Give back to her as she also has rendered; and pay back double to her, twofold according to her works. In the CUP which she has MIXED, mix double to her. So much as SHE has GLORIFIED herself and LIVED in LUXURY, give to her as much torment and misery, because in her HEART she says, ‘I sit as a QUEEN, and I am never a WIDOW, and never shall I see MOURNING.’ Because of this, her PLAGUES will come in one day, DEATH and MISERY and FAMINE, and she will be BURNED up with FIRE, because mighty is the Lord God, the One having judged her.”[vs. 5-8]
God makes the same statement against Babylon of the Chaldeans saying, “Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgement REACHES to HEAVEN and is lifted up to the skies.” Jeremiah 51:9 Heaped up to heaven is the term God uses when the sins of a nation become so out of control that it rises to heaven. God used this term at least in two other places, the first is when He came down to see the report about Sodom and Gomorrah, He said to Abraham “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20-21 The other is against Nineveh, God said to Jonah “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” Jonah 1:2 So in the case of Great Babylon also her sins have risen to heaven but here the Lord uses the word REMEMBER.” In the case of Old Babylon the Lord does not use the word “remember” just that the time of His vengeance has come to repay her for His temple and for His people, [Jer. 50:27-28,33-34] however He remembers the inequities of Great Babylon. [Rev. 16:19]
This is because under the dispensation of Grace, God was not looking at the sins of Great Babylon, because they were not imputed, and NO accusation of sins comes before Him. [2 Cor. 5:17, Rev. 12:10] John says, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and NOT ONLY for OURS, but also for those of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2 So AS far as God is concerned, He is not looking at ANY of us in our sins but in His Grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we have to apply this GIFT by receiving it from Him in acknowledging that truth. Otherwise as the Lord says, “You will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 NOT that He charged us but because we have not accepted His FREE gift. So in the case of Great Babylon, when the Age of GRACE comes to an end, God looks at Great Babylon and He now sees and remembers ALL her inequities that the time has come to repay her for all the wrong she has done.
Now, the main charge against Great Babylon is the CUP she holds from which she made the nations drink the wrath of God. “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls, holding a golden CUP in her hand, being full of abominations and the impurity of her sexual immorality.” Rev. 17:4 The content of the CUP is an expression of the violation of the Covenant of Grace, a reference to the doctrines she corrupted “MIXED,” being deceived by evil spirits and given to the nations to drink. “Babylon the great, who has given all the Gentiles to drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Rev. 14:8 So now she is also made to reap the reward of her own teachings.
GLORIFIED herself: Isaiah says of Old Babylon, the Lady of Kingdoms, “You said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ So that you did not take these things to heart, nor remember the latter end of them. “Therefore hear this now, you who are GIVEN to PLEASURES, who dwell SECURELY, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a WIDOW, nor shall I know the loss of children’; But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness because of the multitude of your SORCERIES, for the great abundance of your ENCHANTMENTS.” Isaiah 47:7-9 Old Babylon trusted in her river, she trusted in the wall that surrounded her, the wise and mighty men that dwelt in her midst. Because of these she saw herself as one who plundered the nations but herself to be “SECURE” never to be plundered, “not a widow nor see the loss of children.”
We are making this parallel between the two Babylons in order to determine in what manner Great Babylon is making her boast to GLORIFY herself, that is the place of status she claims to occupy. Great Babylon also says, “I sit as a QUEEN, and I am never a WIDOW, and never shall I see MOURNING.” As much as Rome is a great city, there are many cities in the world that rival her in beauty, in riches, in strength, in economical and political influence but none of them will come close to her CLAIM of spiritual status in relation to God, to be the capital city of Christianity and home to the viceroy, the head of the christian faith, the Pope. Which is a product of her own corrupted teaching obscuring her perception of herself, through which she has GLORIFIED herself. To be a Queen is to be wed to the King, consider the term “Queen of Heaven.” which is used in reference to Mary, who is an emblem of the Roman Catholic faith.
Isaiah says of Old Babylon, “For you have TRUSTED in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your WISDOM and your KNOWLEDGE have WARPED you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’” Isaiah 47:10 Likewise the CUP she mixed, that is her doctrines, the teachings of deceiving spirits and demons has also WARPED the perceptions of Great Babylon and through the trap of “the infallibility of Papal Dogma,” she does not heed correction. And even though she claims to be the bride of Christ, she bears Him no children. In Revelation 14 we have shown how she is portrayed in relation to the people of the world because she brings no change to the nations, that is they are lulled into the sleep of death by her deception and are unaware that they remain the children of the world.
LIVED in LUXURY: It is important for us to point out how Great Babylon obtained this wealth through which she now lives luxuriously with the kings of the earth. Jeremiah says of Babylon, “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me, he has crushed me; He has made me an empty vessel, he has swallowed me up like a monster; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies, he has spit me out….I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; And the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall.” Jeremiah 51:34,44 That is to say, Babylon of Chaldeans acquired her wealth through plunder, Jeremiah wrote, “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him.” Jeremiah 28:14 So the wealth of the nations streamed into Babylon through the plunder of war and through taxes and tributes paid to her. But no such means are attributed to Great Babylon.
In the previous chapter we have given a brief example of how Christianity became a state religion and how this eventually led to the abuse of power when popes and kings clamoured to control the vast wealth field of the faith that transcends the borders of nations. And how kings and religious leaders seeking to satisfy their insatiable appetite for covetous gain interpreted the Scriptures to suit their purposes and established it as doctrine, built up barriers between the word of God and the common people opening the way for great heresies to flourish. The Roman Catholic church was the main architect of such doctrines that were forged to facilitate the acquisition of wealth which the kings of the nations implemented. And they engaged in ego projects of building great cathedrals and magnificent structures of art and beauty exacted from the ignorant and poor. Jeremiah says of Old Babylon, “O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.” Jeremiah 51:13 That is to say what led Great Babylon astray is also the pursuit for covetous gain.
Great Babylon can be compared to the church that gained wealth [Mammon] and lost her soul. “For you say, ‘I am rich, and I have grown rich, and I have NEED of NOTHING.’ And you DO NOT realise that you are WRETCHED, and MISERABLE, and POOR, and BLIND, and NAKED. I counsel you to buy from Me GOLD having been refined by fire so that you may be rich, and WHITE garments so that you may be clothed and the shame your of nakedness might not be made manifest, and eye-salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” Revelation 3:17-18 The church of the Laodiceans is an expression of a church who is fully reliant on herself, the riches is not only of earthly but her own perception of her own deeds through which she has justified herself. She has mixed law and grace [has corrupted her teachings] and is in confusion, “neither Hot nor Cold.” [M.b]. She does not even realise her shame is not covered, that is to say she is still in her Sins. Similarly she is offered an eye-salve to correct her warped perception. There is no conciliatory quality the Lord gives to this church, it is a church which is TOTALLY estranged to Him, He is OUTSIDE seeking to come in and the only one He threatens to CAST OUT! To be cast out is to be caught off guard when the day of the Lord comes, to be left outside the gate. [Matthew 24:48-51; 25:10-13]
The point is there is a relationship between the Cup she mixed, that is the CORRUPTED doctrine she gives to the world, and the LUXURIOUS clothing and jewels she wears, the payment she received in return. That is to say, Great Babylon acquired her wealth through the erroneous doctrines she sold!
Her plagues will come in one day: Jeremiah wrote of Old Babylon, “These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood.” And Daniel records the immediacy of the fulfilment of this prophecy in the story of king Belshazzar who mocked God by drinking from the vessels of Temple to honour his IDOLS. [Daniel 5:3-4, 23] And as the king, his nobles and wise men with their wives and concubines were celebrating and drinking that very night the city of Babylon was taken by the Medes, the king of Babylon was slain and Darius the Mede received the kingdom. [Daniel 5:30] The result of the Judgement written by the finger of God. Likewise we can expect Great Babylon to be destroyed just as quickly, unaware of the destruction that is to come upon her, in death, misery, famine and to be burnt with fire never to rise again when she is delivered into the hands of the ten kings that hate her. “Mighty is the Lord God, the One having judged her.” Because she also has taken the sacred things of God to propagate Idolatry.
[For Consideration]: Great Babylon will be destroyed after the nations of the earth were subjected to the wrath of God, leading to the Clay nations to come against Israel and the Iron nations to come against Great Babylon. No matter how obscured and misdirected Great Babylon’s worship of God is, it is this very cause that brings her demise. The lesson is, the Lord said of Jerusalem of AD 70, “Because you did not know the season of your visitation.” Luke 19:44 Likewise Great Babylon will be subjected to the same destruction because she also has forsaken her covenant of Marriage, for Idolatry and covetous pursuits.
“And the KINGS of the EARTH, the ones having COMMITTED sexual immorality and having LIVED LUXURIOUSLY with her, will weep and will wail for her when they see the SMOKE of her BURNING, STANDING from AFAR because of the FEAR of her TORMENT, saying: “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ONE HOUR your judgement has come.” [vs. 9-10]
First of all there is a difference between the people of the nations and the kings of the earth. The kings of the earth are presented as being active participants in the sexual immorality of Great Babylon, because they are a means by which Great Babylon has propagated her doctrines. While the nations, tongues and people are presented as victims being their subjects, sheep that were led to slaughter. This was portrayed in the Great Reformation when Luther was being hunted by his own king and pressured to recant his position in order to appease the demand of Rome, all the while his teaching was striking a chord with people.
The second aspect is the kings of the earth lived luxuriously with her, that is to say they themselves benefited from the means she implemented to extract wealth from the people. That is, in the past the kings of the earth obtained a percentage from the money gathered in their land as a direct result of the doctrine the Roman Catholic church propagated. So there was much incentive on their part to propagate her doctrine because it opened to them a new stream of revenue apart from taxation. However, the current financial practices of the Vatican are shrouded in secrecy, as such no assessment can be made in regards to relation with the kings of the earth. Nevertheless in the past there have been charges that Great Babylon has invested and benefited from the arms industry and other morally questionable endeavours as well as accusations of embezzlement, money laundering, misappropriation of funds and so on.
Paul said in respect to management of funds, “And we have sent with him the brother whose praise in the gospel is through all of the churches, and not only that, but also having been chosen by the churches, he is our fellow traveller with this grace that is being administered by us toward the glory of the Lord Himself and our readiness, avoiding this, lest anyone should blame us in this abundance being administered by us. For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only before the Lord, but also before men.” 2 Corinthians 9:18-21 That is simply to say, they took great care to be as forthright as they can be that there may not be a hint of doubt arise in the minds of people in respect to the funds they administered.
Final point, [D.p] makes an observation here that the sudden aspect of the destruction of Great Babylon of Rome, in death, misery, famine and being burnt with fire is the result of the use of a Nuclear Weapon. He supports this conclusion by pointing to the fact that in this chapter it is repeatedly stated that those who observe her destruction “stand AFAR because of the FEAR of her TORMENT.” [vs. 10, 15, 17] That is by sea or by land no one comes close to see the plight of her destruction for fear of the fallout of radiation.
[Consider]: John in chapter 17 stated that the Great City Babylon will be given into the hands of the Ten kings who hate the harlot, and they in agreement with the beast will destroy her. And we have strongly stated these kings will be those who identify with the Atheistic ideologies. However the implication is, while there are those who hate her and seek to destroy her, yet she still remains to have influence over the kings of the earth that took part in her sexual immorality. That is to say there will be nations [kings] in those days that still identify with her according to her faith. And the call for the Saints of God to depart from her midst is evident of her influence even in the last days.
Merchants of the Earth.
“And the MERCHANTS of the earth weep and mourn for her, because no one BUYS their cargo any longer— cargo of GOLD, and of silver, and of PRECIOUS STONE, and of PEARLS; and of fine linen, and of PURPLE, and of silk, and of SCARLET; and all thyine wood and of every ARTICLE of ivory and every ARTICLE of most precious wood; and of bronze, and of iron, and of marble; and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and myrrh, and frankincense; and wine, and oil, and finest flour, and wheat; and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots; and of slaves and SOULS of men. And the ripe FRUITS of the DESIRE of your SOUL are departed from you, and all the SUMPTUOUS things and the SPLENDID things have departed from you, and they will not find them any longer.” [vs. 11-14]
Ezekiel wrote of Tyre saying, “Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. Those from the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules. The men of Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment. Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made….” Ezekiel 27:12-16 We make this comparison to show how Tyre obtained her wealth and how the term merchants relates to her. “When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; You enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise.” Ezekiel 27:33 That is through the abundance of goods she produced in her wisdom. [Ezekiel 28:4]
In the previous verse we have shown how Old Babylon obtained her wealth through her might in plunder and subjection of kingdoms. However, Great Babylon obtained her wealth through the doctrines she sold to the world and is presented here as one spending for a lavish way of life. John describes her relationship with the merchants as, “no one buys their cargo, any more” and attributes the enrichment of the merchants of the earth to Great Babylon’s life of luxury.
In the previous chapter we attributed the manner the Woman was adorned, “the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls,” to be the expression of the beauty of her buildings and great art and statues, an expression of her lavish expenditure. And looking back into the history of the Roman Church it is easy to see how her building programs and her commission of art, music, furniture could have greatly benefited the merchants of the earth. However as mentioned above the financial records of the Vatican is a closely guarded secret. This being said, lapses in judgement of those who administer her finances has revealed some of her financial practices. That is the Roman Catholic church has greatly benefited the merchants of the earth through her investment practices. She has been reportedly to have invested and owns shares in a variety of companies, she has traded in currencies and owns a vast real estate portfolio that is spread all around the world and even her own banking system. The point is Great Babylon interacts heavily with the merchants of the world, through an international trading system. She has more in common with the great corporations of the world than she does with institutions of faith.
The list of items given here are an expression of everything that is of fine and of value but it is also an expression that incorporates both aspects of the Woman Great Babylon and the Great Prostitute, the Roman Catholic church. That is items that accompany religious rituals, such as “incense, and myrrh, and frankincense; and wine, and oil” as well as items such as “gold, and of silver, and of precious stone, and of pearls; and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet; ivory….horses, and of chariots; and of slaves and souls of men,” that are an expression of a kingdom. [1 Kings 10] Rome the Great City as a whole her desire for the fine things is equally matched by the church she represents, “the ripe fruits of the desire of your soul.” Note: Great Babylon does not bring about a change of heart, so those who belong to her remain the children of the world as such the desires of their soul are one and the same.
[D.p] used to teach that Great Babylon is aesthetically pleasing, she appeals to the soulish nature of mankind, her great buildings, her vestments, her chalices and table cloths, her ceremonies and procession all designed to stir the soul and deceive one into thinking they have paid their religious duties.
The MERCHANTS of these things having been ENRICHED from her will STAND from AFAR, weeping and mourning because of the FEAR of her TORMENT, saying: “Woe, woe, the GREAT CITY, having been CLOTHED with fine linen and purple and scarlet, and having been ADORNED with gold and precious stone and pearl! For in one hour such GREAT WEALTH has been brought to desolation.” [vs. 14-17]
The main point we want to affirm here is, John associates the adornment of the Woman in clothing and jewellery to be an expression of the City Rome, “the great city, having been clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet, and having been adorned with gold and precious stone and pearl!” which he relates to be an aspect of her GREAT WEALTH. The merchants are those who sell their goods to her and are enriched. Again John relates how the Merchants of the earth stand at a distance for fear of her torment to lament for her.
Note: All her beauty is acquired through bartering with earthly means, the Merchants and Shipmasters of the earth being the ones who benefited from her lavish style. “She has glorified herself,” NOT that God glorified her. The bride of Christ coming out of heaven is adorned by God, the gold, precious stones and pearls are of heaven however Great Babylon is the architect of her own beauty.
“And every SHIPMASTER, and all those sailing to a place, and sailors, and as many as TRADE by the sea, STOOD at a DISTANCE, and were crying out, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like the great city?’ And they cast dust upon their heads, and they were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying: “Woe, woe, the Great City, in which all those having SHIPS in the sea were ENRICHED through her WEALTH ! For in one hour she has been brought to desolation.” [vs. 18-19]
Ezekiel writes, “Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; They became your pilots. Elders of Gebal and its wise men were in you to caulk your seams; All the ships of the sea and their oarsmen were in you to market your merchandise.” Ezekiel 27:8-9 The point in respect of Great Babylon is that the Shipmasters are those who bring her goods and through the abundance of her trade they themselves were enriched. They also from a distant lament her torment.
The End of Great Babylon.
“REJOICE over her, O HEAVEN, and you SAINTS and APOSTLES and PROPHETS, because God has judged for YOU the judgement AGAINST her.” [vs. 20]
There is a contrast here, while Kings and Merchants of the earth with the Shipmasters were throwing dust on their head lamenting for Great Babylon there is a call for celebration in heaven, for the Saints, Apostles and Prophets. This is a good way to see the Woman as a representation of the Christian faith on earth built upon by an earthly means against one that is built through heavenly means.
The first is the illustration of those who contributed to the building of Great Babylon, the means by which she glorified herself, these are the Kings of the earth, who propagated her doctrine in taking part in her sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her. The Merchants and Shipmasters are those that adorned her with their merchandise for her to become a beautiful city on earth, through which they greatly benefited in the process. The contrast to this is the true bride of Christ, the one that descends out of heaven, “And it was given to her that she should be clothed in bright, pure, fine linen.” For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the SAINTS.” Rev 19:8 And she is built upon the doctrines of Apostles and Prophets, “So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens of the SAINTS and of the household of God, having been BUILT UPON the foundation of the APOSTLES and PROPHETS, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:19-20
Here the announcement is also in relation to the vengeance taken on Great Babylon in respect to Saints, Apostles and Prophets. In previous chapters we have asserted when the Book of Revelation speaks of Saints it is referring to the Jews. Rev. 11:18 mainly because the chapter is specifically addressing the Jews, Rev. 13:7 in relation to Daniel 7:25, as those who face the tribulation of the Antichrist will bring as it was in AD70. So God is remembering and repaying Great Babylon for her vicious acts against Jerusalem. Note: the period of Grace has expired, so NO SIN is hidden, everything will be exposed and Great Babylon sins will be remembered and will be held accountable.
The Apostles and Prophets is in regards to those who suffered at her hands in the process of building the kingdom of God. [Ephesians 2:20, 2 Peter 3:2] Great Babylon after she had persecuted Jerusalem turned her hand to persecute Christians. [Rev. 12:17] And this act of persecution did continue by some measure at the hands of the Roman Catholic church to silence those who opposed her erroneous doctrine and challenged her authority. This reformist, apostles and prophets paid with their lives to bring about the true message of salvation to the people.
“And one mighty ANGEL took up a stone like a GREAT MILLSTONE and cast it into the SEA, saying: “Thus Babylon will be cast down with violence, the GREAT CITY, and shall never be found any longer. And the sound of harpists and musicians, and flute players and trumpeters, shall never be heard in you any longer. And any craftsmen of any craft shall never be found in you any longer, and the sound of a millstone shall never be heard in you any longer. And the light of lamp shall never shine in you any longer, and the voice of a bridegroom and a bride shall never be heard in you any longer. For your MERCHANTS were the great ones of the earth, because by your SORCERY all the NATIONS were DECEIVED.” [vs. 21-23]
Jeremiah pronouncing the judgement of Old Babylon wrote, “And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, then you shall say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be DESOLATE forever.’ Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a STONE to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall SINK and not rise from the CATASTROPHE that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’” Jeremiah 51:61-64 We see the same type of action being taken against Great Babylon, except in this case the judgement is pronounced by an angel. This has significance because it is the end of the AGE, the Lord said, “the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the harvesters are angels.” Matthew 13:39 Great Babylon is an illustration of a Church that has fallen short, of all those who entertained all manner of deceptive doctrines and were moved from the truth of the faith, she is called, “the mother of prostitutes.” In the parable of Dragnet that caught all manner of fish, the angels sorted the good from the bad. From the SAME NET that is from all those who have the SAME HOPE of attaining to the kingdom of God. [Matthew 13:47-50]
Great Milestone: The Lord said to the religious leaders, who rejected His word, “And the one having fallen on this STONE will be broken; but on whomever it shall fall, it will GRIND him to POWDER.” Matthew 21:44 Great Babylon is one who has fallen upon this Stone, the subtlety of her rejection of the Lord is unknown to her, Paul writes, “As the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, your minds might be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY and the purity in Christ.” 2 Cor. 11:3 We have explained this above in terms of what it means to depart from the faith.
Israel, came a great way from her days of immorality to be subject to the Law but at the inauguration of the New Covenant she buckled and rejected the Lord. And Paul admonished them saying, “Therefore, of the promise to enter into His rest left remaining, we should fear, lest ever any of you should seem to have fallen short.” Hebrews 4:1 From the SAME NET of the Law, there were some that were taken, others that were left out because they did not understand the intended outcome. Great Babylon has also come to the gates but she also has not grasped what it truly means to be a Christian, to be born of the Spirit, and she being trapped by all manners of religious form and deceptive doctrines she also has fallen short. In the parable of the Ten virgins HALF were turned away because they did not realise the absolute necessity of having the Spirit of God dwell in them. [Matthew 25:1-13]
No music, no craft, no food, no light, no bride and no groom is an elaborate way to describe her total desolation, to be forever uninhabited.
For your MERCHANTS were the great ones of the earth [BECAUSE] by your SORCERY all the NATIONS were DECEIVED. A merchant by definition is, “a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying goods to a particular trade.” Ezekiel says of Tyre, “Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods….Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies.” Ezekiel 27:12,16 However the goods Great Babylon is associated with is Sorcery through which she deceived the nations.
The word SORCERY in Greek is “φαρμακείᾳ: pharmakeia” which the strong concordance defines as “the use of medicine, drugs or spells.” We have associated her sorceries to the doctrines she spread to the world. “Those dwelling on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” Rev. 17:2 [And] “Holding a golden cup in her hand, being full of abominations and the impurity of her sexual immorality.” Rev. 17:4 [And] “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality;” Rev. 18:3 Therefore Sorcery according to Great Babylon is Sexual Immorality that is spiritual adultery caused by false doctrines which she taught to the nations trapping their souls. Great Babylon’s deception is that she gives the sense of religiosity all the while those who belong to her remain the children of the world. She has deceived them, having lulled them into the sleep of death, “she has put a spell on them.” Paul compared the misleading of the Galatians from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ to an act of bewitchment, “O foolish Galatians! Who has BEWITCHED you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as having been crucified?” Galatians 3:1 [D.p]
Sorcery can be an act of divination, knowledge acquired outside of the means God has established, a perverted doctrine, a means by which people are entrapped by a LIE. Ezekiel wrote, “Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart;” — “And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your LYING to My people who LISTEN to LIES?” Ezekiel 13:17,19 NOTE, these women gave a word to a person the result of which is some died before their time and others lived more than they ought against the purposes of God. And because it is against the purpose of God it was a LIE, no matter the reality of the outcome. Ezekiel says of these women, “You have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does NOT TURN from his wicked way to SAVE his LIFE. Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination.” Ezekiel 13:22-23 The effect of their sorcery, divination deceived the wicked, “sinner” that he did not have the sense to turn and be saved.
Sorcery has a supernatural aspect, it is a deceptive doctrine of demons designed to make one trust in a lie and those who trust in it though they ought to live through the knowledge of the truth yet they have died. [1 Timothy 2:3-4] Paul says, “the bond-servant of the Lord not to quarrel, but to be gentle toward all, able to teach, forbearing, in gentleness disciplining those OPPOSING, lest ever God may give them REPENTANCE unto a knowledge of the TRUTH, and they might come to their SENSES out of the SNARE of the DEVIL, having been captured by him for his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 Every idolatrous religion in the world has a spiritual force behind it and Great Babylon doctrines are not any different. She has propagated teachings that are inspired by demons through which she deceived the nations trapping their souls, having been SNARED by the devil. [1 Timothy. 4:1]
The equivalent to Ezekiel’s statement is, Paul wrote, “For there will be a time when they will not endure sound teaching, but according to the own desires, having an ITCHING ear, they will gather around them teachers to suit themselves, and indeed they will TURN AWAY from hearing the TRUTH, and will be turned aside unto MYTHS.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 MYTHS are lies, so these people having itching ears, meaning people who want to listen to lies have turned away from truth to trust in LIES and have become subject to the wrath of God. [2 Thess. 2:10-11] The prophet Samuel said to king Saul, when he broke the ordinance of God and offered sacrifice to God, which was not lawful for him to do, “For REBELLION is as the SIN of WITCHCRAFT [divination], and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:23 This is SORCERY of Great Babylon, she is accused of misleading the inhabitants of the world by her sorcery, through which they have rebelled against the word of God.
“And IN HER was found the BLOOD of PROPHETS and of SAINTS and of ALL those having been SLAIN on the EARTH. [vs. 24]
There is a comparison to be made between Jerusalem and Great Babylon. The Lord said to the spiritual leaders of Israel, “Because of this, behold, I send to you PROPHETS and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and will crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and will persecute from town to town; so that upon you shall come all the RIGHTEOUS blood being poured out upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” Matthew 23:34-35 Here the Lord put upon the shoulders of this particular generation who were under the Covenant of the Law, all the righteous blood from the first innocent man Abel, to the last of the prophets to be killed before the sealing up of vision and prophecy. [Daniel 9:24] More so this is referring to a SPECIFIC bloodline of the Hebrews. The story of creation was unknown to the rest of the world except the Jews so at the closing of the Covenant of the Law when destruction came it came against Jerusalem and Judah to make her desolate for over 2 millennia.
Great Babylon is also now charged with the same charge, except this time God has bought the ENTIRE WORLD by the blood of His Son. “For God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life.” John 3:16, [1 John 2:2] And through the preaching of the Gospel God is made known to the entire world, to every nation, tongue and people. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14 And the Lord said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole earth, for a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14 So Great Babylon is charged with the blood of PROPHETS and SAINTS, and ALL the SLAIN of the Earth. Paul identified three types of people in the world, “Be you without offence both to Jews and Greeks, and to the Church of God—” 1 Cor. 10:32
The PROPHETS: Great Babylon is NOT responsible for killing the Old Testament prophets, the Lord said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the PROPHETS, and stoning those having been sent to her.” Luke 13:34 And in the statement about Abel and Zechariah the Lord charged ALL the blood of the Prophets against Jerusalem. So the term PROPHETS here is a reference to New Covenant believers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Moses said, “Oh, that ALL the Lord’s people were PROPHETS and that the Lord would put HIS SPIRIT upon them!” Numbers 11:29 This was fulfilled in the New Covenant, where every child of God born of His Spirit is able to hear from God for themselves. Not that all are called to the Prophet office but because ALL have the Holy Spirit dwell in them. Peter in his first sermon quoted the prophet Joel saying, “And it will be in the last days, God says, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 So the Blood of the Prophets is a reference to the persecution Great Babylon brought to bear against Christians throughout this age. [Rev. 12:17]
The SAINTS: In general the term SAINTS applies to ALL the people of God, Paul wrote, “You [Gentile believers] are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens of the SAINTS [Jews] and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19 So mainly when the term Saints is used in Revelation it is specifically referring to the Jews that are present in the world during the final days of this AGE. [Rev. 11:18 and Rev 13:7] Specifically because the church of God is raptured at the beginning of the seven year period of wrath of God at the sounding of the Sixth TRUMPET. So when he says, Great Babylon ROME is accused of the Blood of the Saints, he is referring to the Persecution of the Jews in AD70, when they were taken into captivity and Jerusalem was burned to the ground. [Luke 21:24] Daniel described this event as, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the SAINTS of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the SAINTS shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25 which John referred to in Rev. 12:13-16.
ALL the SLAIN of the Earth: Is a reference to the last group of people the Gentiles: Greeks. And Great Babylon is charged with their blood because the application of the Covenant of Grace is WORLD WIDE. And as the Great Prostitute she deceived the NATIONS by her corrupted doctrines of spiritual adultery making them to be partakers of the wrath of God. Therefore she is held responsible for their blood. “For ALL the NATIONS have DRUNK of the wine of the WRATH of her SEXUAL IMMORALITY.” Rev. 18:3
Revelation 19: The Second Coming.
This chapter describes the final conclusion of the AGE of GRACE as it pertains to dealing with flesh-mankind. When Paul said, “In the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7 The clause is towards those who are “IN Christ,” those who have the Spirit of God dwell in them. This is where we are introduced to the fact that in the coming AGE of the Year of the Redeemed spirit-mankind will preside over flesh-mankind, being given authority over the nations. [Rev. 2:26-27]
So this chapter is the fulfilment of the narration that began in Revelation 12 at the birth of the Kingdom of God on earth represented in the Church, brought to the final conclusion when God will destroy all things that offend in the trampling down of the Harvest of Grapes described in Revelation 14:14-20. Daniel described this day as, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—” Daniel 2:44-45 The Lord also described this day through the parable of the Wheat and Tares. [Matthew 13:37-43] In the previous chapter we have seen the consequences that face the False Church. In contrast this chapter begins with the celebration of the True Church in taking part in the wedding supper of the Lamb, in fulfilment of the parable the Lord taught of the Ten Virgins. [Matthew 25:1-13]
Point of Note: The disparity between the Ten Virgins is a consequence of which, for the sake of CONTRIVED UNITY, based on some concept of morality we have disregarded the truth of God and turned a blind eye while those who are CLOSE perish outside the gate. We say peace and unity because we do not want ruffle feathers but we do not realise we say those things apart from the truth of God. Paul says, “To whom we did not yield in subjection for even an hour, so that truth of the gospel would be preserved with you.” Galatians 2:5 We need to bear in mind as much as there are those who are in the world who perish there are also those among us who are misled into destruction. The fools and the wise slept SIDE by SIDE. Paul says, “It behoves the bond-servant of the Lord NOT to QUARREL, but to be GENTLE toward ALL, able to teach, forbearing, in GENTLENESS disciplining those OPPOSING, lest ever God may give them REPENTANCE unto a knowledge of the TRUTH, and they might come to their SENSES out of the snare of the devil, having been captured by him for his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 It is not to quarrel, it is not to mock or ridicule but with earnest desire to unveil the truth of God.
Finally we have substantiated the event described in this chapter with those prophesied by Joel 3 and Zechariah 14 as well as the wonderful writings of Isaiah 2, 11, 61, and 63. Bear in mind this is not exhaustive but we believe it is sufficient enough to give us a clear understanding of the END of this AGE and the OPENING of the NEW.
“After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a GREAT MULTITUDE in heaven, crying out: “Hallelujah! The salvation and the glory and the power to our God! For His judgements are true and righteous, because He has judged the GREAT PROSTITUTE, who had CORRUPTED the earth with her SEXUAL IMMORALITY, and He has AVENGED the blood of His servants, out of her hand.” And a second time they said: “Hallelujah! And her smoke goes up to the ages of the ages.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, the One sitting on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!” [vs. 1-4]
The reference to the Great Multitude in heaven is an expression of the CHURCH that was RAPTURED, the Heavenly Jerusalem: the Bride of Christ. John in the previous chapter wrote, “After these things I looked, and behold, a GREAT MULTITUDE, which no one was able to number it, out of every NATION, and TRIBES, and PEOPLE, and TONGUES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, having been clothed with white robes, and palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9 What we need to remember here is that the moment being described in these verses is at the END of the 7 year Wrath of God. So the Bride of Christ is celebrated in heaven as “the GREAT PROSTITUTE,” that is the FAITH that Great Babylon represents which we have identified as the Roman Catholic church is judged on Earth.
In the description of the fate of Great Babylon in chapter 17 a theologian named Ian Paul compared the adornment of Great Babylon in Gold, Precious Stone and Pearls to the adornment of the New Jerusalem the wife of the Lamb. In doing so he added to the revelation of the true essence of Great Babylon as a COUNTER to the true Church of God. In the Law Israel had two sects, Pharisees and Sadducees, the latter being the ones that do not believe in resurrection, nor angel or spirits while the former do. [Acts 23:8] The Sadducees were using natural reasoning of husband wives to counter the truth of God and the Lord corrected them by the Scriptures saying, “You ERR, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God….” [Matthew 22:29-32] The point is it should serve as a warning to us that the Church is also split by those who use natural reasoning to the disregard of the truth of Scriptures and are led into error. Paul said of the events Israel endured in the wilderness saying, “Now these things have become types to us, for us NOT to be desirers of evil things, AS THEY also desired.” 1 Cor. 10:6 The point is this is not a coincidence and we ought to draw meaning from their experiences so that we may not falter.
There is an important lesson for us to take from the parables of the Lord. In the gospel of Luke the Lord gave an example of a poor man named Lazarus who died and also of a rich man who also died. And the rich man being in Hades and in torment seeing Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, pleaded with Abraham that Lazarus may be sent back to the living so that he may testify to his five brothers that they may be spared from coming to the same place. And Abraham responded, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, not even will they be persuaded if one should rise out from the dead.” Luke 16:19-31 And in the gospel of John there was an event where a man named Lazarus having died was raised back to life by the Lord. And the testimony of this miracle was reported to the spiritual leaders [five brothers of the high priest from the writing of Josephus] and they responded by conspiring to kill the Lord and Lazarus saying, “What are we to do? For this man does many signs. If we shall let Him alone like this, all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and will take away both our place and nation.” John 11:47-48 The point we wanted to emphasise is that the parables of the Lord are not just mere stories, they have real application.
So when the Lord told of the parable of the Ten virgins, where the five wise virgins with lamp and vessels of oil were allowed to go into the wedding feast while the five foolish virgins with lamps barely shining were left outside the gate, it ought to impress upon us that from ALL who call themselves Christians HALF will be left out because they have not given heed to the truth of Scripture according to the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not a set of religious rituals, it is a relationship of knowing God and being known by Him, it is a MARRIAGE. Paul said, “Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith; TEST yourselves. Or do you not recognize yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unapproved?” 2 Cor. 13:5 The important point for us to see is that these TWO types of Virgins are represented side by side as also in this chapter. Great Babylon, the Great Prostitute represents a CHURCH, a successful one at that by sheer number of members and it is an illustration of the HALF that are left behind on earth. And the Heavenly Jerusalem being the Church that is taken up to take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb. This reasoning is also further supported in the parable of Wheat and Tares and of the Banquet of the Lord all of which are an illustration of a REAL event.
The Marriage of the Lamb.
“And a voice came forth from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you His servants, and those fearing Him, the small and the great!” And I heard something like the voice of a GREAT MULTITUDE, and like the sound of many waters, and like a sound of mighty thunders, saying: “Hallelujah! For the Lord God our Almighty has reigned. We should rejoice and should exult and will give to Him the glory, because the MARRIAGE of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself READY. And it was GIVEN TO HER that she should be clothed in BRIGHT, PURE, fine LINEN.” For the fine linen is the RIGHTEOUS acts of the SAINTS.” [vs. 5-8]
The Marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven Seven years after the Rapture MIRRORS the destruction of the Great Prostitute on Earth. [Rev. 11:18]
The elder says of the Great Multitude to John, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation, and they have WASHED their robes and made them WHITE in the BLOOD of the LAMB. BECAUSE of THIS, ‘They are before the throne of God, and SERVE Him day and night in His temple; and the One sitting on the throne will tabernacle over them.” Revelation 7:14-15 The important point to emphasise here is that the Righteous Acts of the Saints was born out of being washed by the Blood of the Lamb, so he says, they serve God “Because of this.” The TRAP of many religions is that good works are emphasised without having been first established on the foundation of righteousness in Christ. [Matthew 7:22-23] This is significant because we are contrasting the Bride of Christ with the Great Prostitute who has failed to grasp this essence and looks to her own good works to justify her. The church of Laodiceans is a portrayal of such a church. [Revelation 3:14-20] Note: Paul said, “I kept declaring to repent and to turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.” Acts 26:20 The point being the reality of our New Nature should be expressed in the manner we live. Good works are the fruit of our new nature, NOT the means of our justification. A righteous tree will bear righteous fruit and a sinful tree will bear sinful fruit!
The Bride has made HERSELF ready: To be clothed in white linen of the Righteous Acts of the Saints, incorporates All aspect of work in the edification of the body of Christ from reaching the lost to add to the body to its sanctification through the knowledge of truth. [John 17:17-18] The point is the Righteous Acts of the Saints is an ACT of serving the body ACCORDINGLY. Paul writes, “To each one of us GRACE has been given according to the measure of the GIFT of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7 Which incorporates the main ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. The purpose being, “Toward the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ…. according to the working in the measure of each individual part, the increase of the body makes for itself, to the building up of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:12,16 [1 Peter 4:10-11, Romans 12:4-8] That is the body serves to build itself up according to the Grace and gift of Christ.
That is every Righteous Act of the Saints is geared to this purpose, that is Christ Himself working in us, to present to Himself a perfect bride. Paul writes, “Husbands, love the wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might SANCTIFY her, having CLEANSED her by the WASHING of WATER by the word, so that He might present to Himself the church in glory, not having SPOT or WRINKLE or any of the such things, but that it would be HOLY and BLAMELESS.” Ephesians 5:25-27 That is Christ Himself working through His servants to preach the word that she may be dressed in fine linen pure and bright as pure and white as it was the day she washed her robe in the blood of the Lamb.
So the purpose of the Righteous Acts of the Saints is geared to bring the body to the acknowledgement of the state they ALREADY have in Christ, as Paul says, “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:10 and he describes his ministry to the body as, “The Spirit from God, that we may know the things having been granted to us by God, which also we speak, not in words taught of human wisdom, but in those taught of the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.” 1 Cor. 2:12-13 The significance being the Righteous Acts of the Saints is God Himself working through the body to bring us to ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of what we already have in Christ. [Phil 2:13; 1 Thess. 5:23] The teaching of the LAW is that the one who does them shall live by them. [Leviticus 18:5] However, GRACE is acknowledging what we already have in Christ and living that out by faith, “If we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 Grace from BEGINNING to END. [2 Cor. 3:17-18]
“And he says to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those having been INVITED to the SUPPER of the MARRIAGE of the LAMB.’” And he says to me, “These are the true words of God.” [vs. 9]
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb: is the fulfilment of an event that started on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down to the earth bearing gifts to gather the bride of Christ. [D.p] This story is illustrated for us in the book of Genesis 24 in the life of Abraham, Isaac, his son born to him from Sarah, Abraham’s servant Eliezer and Rebekah. In the story Abraham, who is a representation of God the Father, sent his oldest servant Eliezer whose name translates to mean “God’s help,” who is a representation of the Holy Spirit to find a bride for his son Isaac meaning laughter: joy. The one who is to inherit all things from his father, one who was put on the altar of sacrifice representing the Lord Jesus Christ. Note: The identifying mark of those who have the Spirit of Christ in them is the JOY of the heart. Peter writes, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, whom not having seen you love, on whom now BELIEVING though not seeing you also exult with JOY inexpressible and filled with glory.” 1 Peter 1:7-8 [John 14:27; 16:22, Romans 14:17, 1 Thess. 1:6]
So this servant who does not at all identify himself throughout the narration of this story went to the family of Abraham bearing much gift to find a bride for Isaac. The family of Abraham are a representation of ALL those who identify with the FAITH Abraham had. “Therefore it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to that of the Law, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us of all—” Romans 4:16 And the servant coming to Ur of the Chaldeans found Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel meaning house of God, the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor. And the servant bestowed upon her the gifts he has brought and upon her family. “Then the servant brought out jewellery of SILVER, jewellery of GOLD, and CLOTHING, and gave them to Rebekah.” Genesis 24:53 [J.p] teaches silver represents REDEMPTION and gold represents RIGHTEOUSNESS. [Subjective] The clothing represents SANCTIFICATION, “it was given to her that she should be clothed in bright, pure, fine linen.” [1 Cor. 1:30, Eph. 5:27] And with her consent to be the bride of Isaac he took her back to the land of Canaan. [Genesis 24:50-51,58] Note: Rebekah went with the servant to marry a man she has not seen believing the testimony the servant bears of him, which is an expression of faith. [1 Peter 1:6-9]
This departure back to the land of Canaan is the representation of the RAPTURE of the Holy Spirit with His Church. [2 Thess. 2:3,7] “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Rev. 22:17 And the Bible records, “Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;” Genesis 24:62-64 Beer Lahai Roi, means “the God who sees,” that is Isaac was coming from the God who sees, that is to say Heaven, coming to meet his bride the servant was bringing. An illustration of being caught up to be with the Lord between heaven and earth. “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living remaining, will be CAUGHT AWAY together with them in the CLOUDS for the meeting of the Lord in the AIR.” 1 Thess. 4:16-17
Finally, the main event which this verse represents, “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” Genesis 24:67 His mothers Sarah’s tent is a representation of the heavenly Jerusalem, Paul writes, “the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother.” Galatians 4:26 [Hebrews 12:22-24] So when Christ comes to receive us to Himself, we are taken to heaven with Him to take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb. When this happens the Lord’s feet will NOT touch the earth, He does not come any closer than the Clouds with His sign in the heavens. [Matthew 24:30-31] The only purpose of His [first] return is to collect His bride and to take her to the Marriage Supper in heaven. [J.p]
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is portrayed in the parable of the Banquet the Lord gave in Matthew 22:1-22 and Luke 14:16-24. In Matthew’s rendition of the parable, a certain king [God] arranged a marriage for his son [the Lord Jesus Christ] and sent out invitations. However those who were first invited rejected his offer and mistreated his servants and the king in fury destroyed them and burned their city and sent out the invitation to others until his house was filled. This is a portrayal of the End of the LAW and the Jews rejection of His offer resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem and the call of God going out to the Gentile world. The Lord said, “The stone that those building rejected, this has become the chief corner. This was from the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes’ Because of this I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people producing its fruits.” Matthew 21:42-43 [Matthew 23:34,37-38, Acts 13:46-47] In Matthew the Lord ends the parable with the king [God] casting away the one who did not have the wedding garment saying, “For many are called, but few chosen.” Which is a portrayal of the five foolish virgins that were left out and the bad fish that were taken out from the dragnet. [Matthew 13:47-50; 25:1-13] The king, God being the ONLY one who knows when that day is and those left out are those who were caught off guard. “And concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32
In Luke’s rendition of this parable, a certain man [the Lord Jesus Christ] gave a great supper and sent out his invitation but those invited gave excuses as those who give excuses not to go to battle according to the Law of Moses. That, one who built a house has not lived in it, or planted a vineyard and has not eaten of its fruit or betrothed to a wife and has not married her are excused. [Deuteronomy 20:5-7] However in the parable the ground was NOT built upon, the oxen were NOT used to plant and the man has already married his wife. The idea being they have misunderstood the Scriptures and failed to recognise the day of their visitation. Paul says, “But their minds were hardened; for until the present day, the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant, not being lifted, which is being removed in Christ.” 2 Cor. 3:14 So the master of the house [the Lord Jesus Christ] sent his invitation to those who are outside, in the streets, lanes and highways and hedges to come to his supper. Here the Lord ends the parable with those invited missing out on the supper. “For I say to all of you that not one of those men having been invited will taste my supper.”
So Matthew describes to us the end of the Law in the destruction of Jerusalem and Judea from the perspective of GOD. That is Israel can NO LONGER relate with God through the Law and God has passed ALL judgement to His Son. [John 5:22-23; John 14:6] Leading to the emphasis of the one who prepares the supper in Luke to be to be a certain man, a master of the house. Paul writes, “Indeed Moses was faithful as a servant in all His house, unto a testimony of the things going to be spoken, but Christ as the Son over His house, whose house we are.” Hebrews 3:5-6 So from the perspective of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom God has given all things to be under Him, it is left OPEN. That is they might miss out on the supper in heaven because they have missed out on the Rapture but they will be delivered by Him when He returns to earth. To be precise, the reference is to those that are left after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. [Romans 11:25-26] Those who live through the atrocities that will come in the final kingdom of Iron and Clay of the Antichrist and the false prophet.
It is important to address the theories of POST & MID tribulation rapture. The main problem of these theories is that they ALL confuse the prophecy of Daniel with that of John and have muddled up two DISTINCTLY separated events. Specifically in regards to Daniel 9:27 which is speaking of the time surrounding AD 70. As stated before, the Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF is our ANCHOR, who attributed the prophecies of Daniel to the destruction of Jerusalem saying, “Therefore when you shall see ‘the abomination of DESOLATION,’ having been SPOKEN of BY the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place—the one reading, let him understand— then those in JUDEA, let them flee to the mountains;” Matthew 24:15-16 NOTE: The coming WRATH is against the world but He is NOT speaking to the WORLD but those who are in JUDEA. Besides it is in the NAME itself, Daniel is prophesying an Abomination that will make Judea DESOLATE. In the final days Judea and Jerusalem will NOT be made desolate as Zechariah says, “Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people SHALL NOT BE CUT OFF from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.” Zechariah 14:2-3
There are two accounts of the Lord’s return, one in the CLOUDS of Heaven which Matthew 24:30-31 & 1 Thess. 4:16-18 speaks of which is referring to the Rapture of the Church. The Second is on the WHITE HORSES of Heaven prepaid for the battle with all His Saints, which Revelation 19:11-16 describes. It is between these two events the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place. Those who are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that is the Church are not subject to the judgement of God. [Isaiah 54:9-10, John 5:24, Romans 5:9, 1 Thess. 1:10] Which means the church CANNOT be in the world when the Wrath of God is pronounced in judgement upon the world through the two prophets. [Rev. 11:4-6]
These are the TRUE words of God: There is great value for those who respond to God’s invitation of Grace. Paul says in Hebrews, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For it behoves the one drawing near to God to believe that He exists and that He becomes a rewarder to those earnestly seeking Him out.” Hebrews 11:6 Faith is what gives God pleasure and those who put their TRUST in the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ are GREATLY blessed. The Lord said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those not having seen, yet having believed.” John 20:29 So the contrast of this statement is in regards to those who enter into heaven to take part in the Marriage Supper against those who come to believe after witnessing the return of the Lord in the clouds of heaven and will have to face the consequences of the Antichrist and the false prophet. Having to escape the atrocities of that period of itself is a great blessing!
“And I fell before his feet to worship to him. And he says to me, “SEE that YOU DO NOT DO THIS. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers, holding the testimony of Jesus. WORSHIP GOD! For the TESTIMONY of Jesus is the spirit of PROPHECY.” [vs. 10]
SEE that YOU DO NOT DO THIS: There is a VERY important point the Lord wants us to get from this statement. John records this statement in the final chapter as well, “And when I heard and saw, I fell down to WORSHIP before the feet of the ANGEL showing these things me. And he says to me, “SEE that YOU DO NOT DO THIS, I am your fellow servant, and with your brothers the prophets, and with those keeping the words of this book. Worship God!” Revelation 22:8-9 The difference between these two statements is that in this chapter the person identifies himself to John saying, “I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers, holding the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” That is to say he is as much a MAN saved by Grace as John is. However the next one is referring to an ANGEL, “those keeping the words of this book.” David says in the Psalm, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His WORD.” Psalm 103:20 So the main point the Lord wants us to grasp is, NOT a man on EARTH NOR an angel IN HEAVEN is to be given worship, veneration or whatever kind of accolade. The work of GRACE is GOD through and through, He ALONE deserves all the Glory and all the Worship. The point is there are many deceptions disguised in acts of prayer and giving of honour which are veils for IDOLATRY.
Testimony of JESUS is the spirit of PROPHECY: [B.j] Teaches that the testimony we give of what the Lord has done in our life is a spirit of prophecy meaning it opens the way for the Lord to do the same thing for others as He did for us. This is especially illustrated through the healing ministry. In the healing of the woman with an issue of blood, there was a point when the Lord perceiving power has gone out of Him turned to the woman and gave her the opportunity to give her testimony to all the people how she was healed, “If I shall touch even His garments, I will be healed.” Mark 5:28 This act of faith later bore fruit when others were also healed in the same manner. “And wherever He entered into villages or into cities or into fields, they were laying the ailing in the marketplaces and were begging Him that only they might touch the fringe His clothing; and as many as touched Him were being healed.” Mark 6:56 Her testimony of what Jesus had done for her became a means by which many others were also healed.
Likewise the man in this verse identifies himself as, “I am your fellow servant and brother who holds the testimony of Jesus.” In doing so he is comparing himself to John that they are both one of the same; we are both servants and brothers holding to the testimony of Jesus. Meaning the testimony of Jesus REPRODUCES after itself making us ALL one and the same. [Galatians 3:28] The Lord said of Himself, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat, having fallen into the ground, should die, it abides alone; but if it should die, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 In respect to our salvation John says, “They have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11 The word of our Testimony is our faith confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 10:8-10] Which makes us to be exactly like Him having His Spirit dwell in us. [Romans 8:9-10] So what the Lord has done for us also serves to SAVE others. The Lord prayed, “But I do not ask for these only, but also for those believing in Me through their word, that all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:20-21 The Saviour is Jesus the One who heals is Jesus!
The Second Coming.
“And I saw HEAVEN having been OPENED, and behold, a WHITE HORSE, and the One sitting upon it called FAITHFUL and TRUE, and in righteousness He judges and MAKES WAR. Now His EYES are like a flame of fire, and upon His head many DIADEMS, having a NAME having been written, which no one except He Himself knows, and having been clothed with a GARMENT having been DIPPED in BLOOD. And His name is called The Word of God.” [vs. 11-13]
There are three other incidents on which the term Heaven having been opened is used, the first was when Christ was baptised, “And immediately, having been baptised, Jesus went up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and alighting upon Him.” Matthew 4:16 The second is when Stephen was stoned, “But he being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked intently into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens HAVING BEEN OPENED, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56 The word used for heaven been opened is “διηνοιγμενος: dianoigó” which is a perfect participle, a completed action that continues to the present meaning Christ entering heaven has left the door wide open for us. Which Paul describes as, “Therefore brothers, having confidence for entering the HOLY PLACES by the BLOOD of JESUS, by a new and living way, which He dedicated for us through the veil that is His flesh, and having a great priest over the house of God.” Hebrews 10:19-21 The third is, when John saw the event in heaven when Christ received the Kingdom on which the vision of Stephen is dependent. “After these things I looked, and behold, a DOOR was standing open in heaven.” Rev 4:1 [Daniel 7:13-14] This opened door will stay constant throughout the AGE of GRACE. “Now we are confident and are pleased rather to be ABSENT out of the BODY, and to be at HOME with the LORD.” 2 Cor. 5:8
However, there is a moment which John describes in chapter 16 as, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and NO ONE was able to ENTER into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” Revelation 15:8 No one was able to Enter the Holy places in heaven. This has significance since it is in respect to the Saints on earth that are about to suffer persecution on the account of their faith, described in Rev. 16:14-16. And those who do lose their lives during this period of persecution will await for the return of the Lord to bring them out of their graves. [Ezekiel 37:13-14 & Rev. 20:4] So again John describes here the Heaven having been opened after the time of wrath whereby the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. However this time it is to portray the return of the Lord with all His Heavenly Army.
Isaiah describes the return of the Lord on the day of His vengeance as, “For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.” Isaiah 24:18 [Subjective]: “DOOR” denotes an entryway, the way for people to enter into heaven, which is the intended meaning of Rev. 4:1. But Isaiah describes the return of the Lord to earth in judgement as the windows being opened. The significant point being no one from earth enters into heaven any more until the day when Jerusalem herself descends out of heaven. [Rev. 21:3] Note: we always are going to be where the Lord is, Paul says, “So we will be ALWAYS with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:17 So the window is an expression for a one way directed event be it judgement or blessing, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10
White Horses: There is significance to why the Lord is described as riding on a White Horse, the main point being that He is coming to battle, “in righteousness He judges and makes war.” The Lord describes a horse as, “His majestic snorting strikes terror. He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword.” Job 39:20-22 The Lord is also described in Revelation 6 as, “I looked, and behold, a White Horse, and the One sitting on it having a bow; and a crown was given to Him, and He went forth OVERCOMING, and that he might conquer.” Revelation 6:2 which is describing the Gospel going out throughout the world to bring the kingdom of heaven on earth. As described in chapter 6 the word “στέφανος: setphanos” is used for a victor’s crown, since Christ had to win the hearts of mankind that they may be saved. The Lord bought the entire world by His blood to bring out of it those who respond to His Gospel of salvation. This reaches fulfilment when the last of Jews are gathered then the Seventh Trumpet sounds with the proclamation, “The kingdom of the world has become that of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign to the ages of the ages.” Revelation 11:15
Faithful and True: There are two instances where the reference, “Faithful and True,” is used toward the Lord Jesus Christ to portray Him as a Man, the first is “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Revelation 1:5 AND “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation.” Revelation 3:14 And this name is associated with the act of Judgement committed to Him, “in righteousness He judges and makes war.” The Lord said of Himself, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son.” John 5:22 And Paul writes, “On that day when God will judge the secrets of men according to my gospel, by Christ Jesus.” Romans 2:16 [And] “He [God] set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness by a Man [The Lord Jesus Christ] whom He appointed, having provided a guarantee to all, having raised Him out from the dead.” Acts 17:30
Isaiah encompasses what the Lord will do in the final days as, “His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall NOT judge by the sight of His eyes, NOR decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall STRIKE the earth with the ROD of His mouth, and with the BREATH of His lips He shall slay the WICKED. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” Isaiah 11:3-5 In Rev. 2 we have described what it means that His EYES are flames of FIRE, the reference being in regards to the One who sees the secret things of the heart. King David writes, “If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Psalm 139:11-12 Paul also writes, “And there is no creature hidden before Him, but all things are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom is our reckoning. “ Hebrews 4:13
In relation to Isaiah,”He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,” is to convey spiritual sight beyond the natural. His eyes have the source of light within to be able to see, which no darkness can overcome. The Lord described His judgement as, “I am able to do NOTHING of Myself. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My will, but the will of the One having sent Me.” John 5:30 His hearing here is not a natural one but one that seeks the will of God. All the Lord is conveying is by sight or by hearing it is NOT according to natural man but according to the Spirit of GOD. So He says of Myself as a Man I can do nothing, but I do the things My Father commands. The Lord said, “You judge according to the flesh; I am judging no one. But even if I judge, My judgement is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father, having sent Me.” John 8:15-16 It is to portray God and Man as one.
HIS HEAD many DIADEMS: The significance of the diadems διαδήματα (royal crowns) which are in respect to the crown of royalty that is to be endowed with the right of rule [DOMINION]. There is a narrative we want to build. Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth, on the day they were created. [Genesis 1:26] However through the fall of Sin they gave up their dominion over the earth to the devil. [Luke 4:6] And this has been the way of things for thousands of years, so in Revelation 12:3 we see the devil with Seven heads and ten horns and on his seven heads seven (royal crowns). However, through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, their authority to rule in SIN was stripped away from them and the rule once again bestowed upon mankind. [Hebrews 2:14-15] And in Revelation 13:1 we see the same beast rising only this time the (royal crowns) are upon the seven horns, representing mankind. So in the final days we see the angel Abaddon manifested as “the MAN of lawlessness” to act in the authority the ten kings of the earth give him.
So once ALL the ELECT of God are gathered into the kingdom, “The kingdom of the world has become that of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign to the ages of the ages.” Rev. 11:15 Christ wearing His (royal crowns) will return to administer His Kingdom on earth. Paul describes the process as, ”Christ the firstfruit, then those of Christ at His coming, then the end, when He shall hand over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He shall have ANNULLED all DOMINION, and all authority and power. For it behoves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet.” 1 Cor. 15:23-25 That is Christ subjecting all things to Himself which will begin with the utter destruction of those who rise to make war with Him. [Rev. 17:14] Zechariah says, “And the Lord shall be King over ALL the EARTH. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.” Zechariah 14:9 Note: The Lord wears these Diadems as a Man having ALL dominion over the earth through whom heaven and earth are united to be under One. [Colossians 1:19-20]
His NEW Name: There are two other places Revelations where references are made to a New Name. The first is, “The ONE OVERCOMING, I will give to him the manna having been hidden, and I will give to him a WHITE STONE, and on the stone NEW a NAME having been written, which NO ONE has KNOWN, except the one receiving it.” Revelation 2:17 The white stone is a description of being made a living stone to be built into the dwelling place of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone. [Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:4-5] [And] “The ONE OVERCOMING, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall not go out anymore. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from My God, and My NEW NAME.” Revelation 3:12
The main point that ties all these together is that “ONE OVERCOMING.” The Lord said of Himself, “ In the world you have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 And John writes, “For everyone having been BORN of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory having overcome the world: our faith. Now who is the one overcoming the world, except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5 So the basic essence of overcoming is to be made in the likeness of the Lord by faith, which is the NEW CREATION. [2 Cor. 5:17] And the New Name is a depiction of this NEW state. Isaiah says, “You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; For the Lord God will slay you, and call His servants by another name;” Isaiah 65:15
NOTE: To be BORN AGAIN is to be Born from death to life. Paul writes, “And He is the head of the body, the CHURCH, who is the beginning, FIRSTBORN out from the DEAD, so that He might be holding preeminence in all things.” Colossians 1:18 [Rev. 1:15] The head of the Church whom we emulate in EVERYTHING is described as firstborn from the dead, meaning He is a depiction of everything we are to be. And this PROCESS of being born again is completed when we attain our spiritual BODY in the likeness of the Lord. “The Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, conformed to the body of His glory.” Phil 3:20-21 So our present state in the flesh is described as a guarantee until the fulfilment of that process by the Holy Spirit. [Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:4-5, Romans 8:23] Which is the same as us being in our mothers womb, waiting to enter the world. So when we have FULLY come into our NEW Nature to be Spirit-Mankind, through sleep or being changed at the twinkle of an eye at the last trumpet then we are then FULLY born to be a Heavenly mankind BODILY. As such we are given a New Name by the Lord that equates to our NEW spirit-mankind nature. When a child is born that child is given a name. So when we see Him we will be like Him even to the point of obtaining a New Name JUST like Him. [1 John 3:2]
GARMENT having been DIPPED in BLOOD: Isaiah describes this event as, “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? “I have TRODDEN the winepress ALONE, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; Their BLOOD is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the DAY of vengeance is in My heart, and the YEAR of My redeemed has come.” Isaiah 63:1-3
The great final battle is the expression of the coming of the DAY of the vengeance of the Lord. Many teachers have pointed out that when the Lord gave the mandate of His ministry in a synagogue, in the reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 He closed the book before the final part of the verse that read, “the DAY of vengeance of our God.” [Luke 4:18-19] It is this day that is being depicted here. And in regards to vengeance the Lord said, “Never avenging yourselves, beloved; instead give place to WRATH, for it has been written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 Acts of Vengeance in wrath belong to the Lord ALONE.
So we see in the prophecy of Isaiah the Lord making the statement, “I have trodden the winepress ALONE and from the PEOPLE NO ONE was with Me.” and “Their BLOOD is sprinkled upon My garments.” As we will see in the next verse in the description of the Armies of Heaven who follow after Him, none of their garments is stained in blood. John describes this victory of the Lord as, “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” Rev 17:14 The point is authority will be given to those who follow Him to ADMINISTER His kingdom, NOT to exact vengeance. Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit down upon His throne of glory, you having followed Me, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28 [Rev. 20:4] And to the church of Thyatira the Lord said, “And the one overcoming and keeping My works until the end, I will give to him authority over the nations, and he will SHEPHERD them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken in pieces.” Revelation 2:26-27 The Armies of heaven are there with the Lord to be with Him for the YEAR of His redeemed.
The Word of God: Is the other Name by which the Lord is known to portray Him according to His DEITY. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1-2 [Very subjective]: The execution of judgement of vengeance is according to His nature as God. God judges the hearts of mankind according to Christ the Lord but executes His judgement as God. A very careful consideration, “the Wrath of the Lamb,” Rev. 6:16, “the Lamb will overcome them.” Rev. 17:14 In Christ Man and God are intrinsically one, “faithful and true with the Word of God.” The point is if we look at Him according to His Humanity only, He says, “of Myself I can do nothing,” but according to His Deity He is able to judge and has every right to execute vengeance.
“And the ARMIES who WERE in HEAVEN, having been clothed in pure, white, fine linen were following Him upon WHITE HORSES. And out of His mouth goes forth a sharp SWORD, so that with it He may strike down the nations; and He will SHEPHERD them with a ROD of IRON. And He treads the press of the WINE of the FURY of the WRATH of God the Almighty. And He has a name having been written upon the ROBE and upon His THIGH: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” [vs. 14-16]
The ARMIES who WERE in HEAVEN: This is a clear indication that the Rapture has taken place and are described in the same manner as the Bride of Christ, those who were invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. [Rev. 7:9-10,14; 19:6-7] So an obvious way to say, the Armies that follow after the Lord are the redeemed of the Lord, “the chosen and faithful.” Rev. 17:14
Now they are also depicted as following Him upon WHITE HORSES. This has significance OTHER than the one provided above, describing the day of the vengeance of the Lord which belongs to God alone. That is, the HORSES can also be used to represent spirits. Zechariah writes, “With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four SPIRITS of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.” Zechariah 6:2-5, Rev. 6:1-8 One taught saying that God gave Elijah a glorified body since he cannot be in heaven in his mortal body and Elijah is described as being taken to heaven by a horse and chariot of fire. [2 Kings 2:11, 1 Cor. 15:50]
The point is armies of heaven are NOT depicted on horses because they engage in battle in order to execute the VENGEANCE of God. The redeemed of the Lord emulate Him in all things EXCEPT their garments are NOT dipped in blood as His, meaning they TAKE no PART in the execution of the Vengeance of the Lord. “from the peoples no one was with Me.” But BECAUSE they are being portrayed returning to the Earth NOT as flesh and bone mankind but as Spirit-Mankind, a Heavenly Race in the Likeness of the Lord. As the Lord says, “For in the resurrection, neither do they marry, nor are given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven.” Matthew 22:30 Angels are spirits! [Hebrews 1:7] and of the Lord Paul says, “the last Adam into a life-giving spirit.” 1 Cor. 15:45 No one on earth has seen the Lord Jesus Christ in His glorified [Spiritual, Heavenly] body, not even His disciples during the forty days on earth when He manifested Himself among them. [Romans 8:23-25, 1 John 3:1-2]
This has significance because it is an ESSENTIAL aspect of the New Creation. The Rapture marked a point where corruption put on incorruption. Which Paul described as, “Behold, I tell to you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” 1 Cor. 15:51-52 And we will be changed to look exactly like Him, John writes, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He APPEARS, we will be LIKE Him, for we will SEE Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 Eve was taken out of the side of Adam on earth to be his flesh and bones, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23 The bride of Christ [spirit-mankind] is also taken out of the HEAVENLY Man, to resemble Him in His HEAVENLY body. The point is Jesus Christ took His spiritual body in Heaven, the VERY reason why He is NOW known as a Heavenly Man. So we likewise will bear His image, “And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the HEAVENLY.” 1 Cor. 15:49 Which is the complete expression of the NEW CREATION. [Romans 8:23, 2 Cor. 5:1, Philippians 3:20-21] There NEVER was such a creation as a Heavenly Man before the Lord Jesus Christ entered Heaven by His own blood.
There are two consecutive events that are being described to us here. Isaiah says, “For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.” Isaiah 63:4 These two events are illustrated by two different actions of the Lord, the first, “the Sword of His Mouth,” which is attributed to the “day of vengeance,” the second is “with a Rod of Iron,” which is attributed to “the year of My redeemed.”
The Sword of His Mouth: Isaiah says of this act of judgement, “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4 It is to the SAME effect as the eyes of flame of fire, where His natural eyes with the power of God depicted in a flame of fire here also we see His natural mouth being depicted with the power of God, “sword.” Paul says, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 The Lord described the execution of His judgement of vengeance through His angels, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks and those practising lawlessness, and they will cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the RIGHTEOUS will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:41-43 David says, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His WORD.” Psalm 103:20 Note: He said, “From the PEOPLE no one was with Me,” He did NOT say angels. [Rev. 14:10]
The outcome of this event is described as, “He treads the press of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” John described this as, “And the ANGEL put forth his sickle to the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast them into the great winepress of the WRATH of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress, as high as the bridles of the horses, to the distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.” Rev. 14:19-20 The main point being illustrated is that the Son of Man exercising the power of heaven in full authority. The Lord said, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18 In the story of David we have an incident where King David acted foolishly and an angel was sent out by the Lord to bring plague upon Israel. [2 Samuel 24:15-16] So in the RESURRECTION we see the Lord as the Son of Man sending out His angels, to strike the nations who rise against Israel, “winepress of God.” And the effect of this act Zechariah describes as, “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” Zechariah 14:12
SHEPHERD them with a ROD of IRON: David described the year of the redeemed as, “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the NATIONS for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a ROD of IRON; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Psalm 2:6-9 This is where we see the Armies of Heaven take part to ADMINISTER the kingdom of God on earth. Eve was described as one taken from the side of Adam to be his helpmate in the dominion rule of earth. So according to the FLESH-mankind the husband is the head and the wife is the body. [1 Cor. 11:3] In the Resurrection, the Armies of Heaven, the bride of Christ are also those who are taken from the Heavenly Man, the Lord Jesus Christ to be His helpmate to rule in dominion over the earth. So in Christ, there is no Jew or Gentile, no male or female, rich or poor, slave or free we are all one, we are ALL the BODY and HE is the Head. The Lord said, “The one overcoming and keeping My works until the end, I will give to him authority over the NATIONS, and he will SHEPHERD them with a ROD of IRON, as the VESSELS of the POTTER are broken in pieces—just as I also have received from My Father.” Revelation 2:26-27 Here we see the Lord bestowing the same authority God has given to Him to us, so that we may be His co-labourers.
Ezekiel says of the Lord, “David My servant shall be KING over them, and they shall all have one SHEPHERD; they shall also walk in My judgements and observe My statutes, and do them.” [and] “Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their PRINCE forever.” Ezekiel 37:24-25 The nations and kingdoms of the world are described as having a prince [a heavenly spiritual host] that rules over that nation. The Prince of Persia, the Prince of Greece, the Prince of the people to come [Rome], Michael your prince. [Daniel 9:26; 10:13, 20,21; 12:1]. And Paul says, “The wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 The point is when the Lord first came on earth He came as flesh “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 However when the Lord returns the second time, He comes as Spirit-Man [1 Cor. 15:45], as one who has authority both in Heaven and Earth, as King and Prince. [Zechariah 14:9]
In Christ Jesus mankind is given authority both in heaven and earth. Paul describes this as, “Because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace by the blood of His cross through Him, whether the things on the EARTH or the things in the HEAVENS.” Colossians 1:19-20 [Matthew 28:18] And he describes our part as, “He raised us up together and seated us together in the HEAVENLY realms in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 Therefore through Christ spirit-mankind, this NEW CREATION has authority to reign BODILY both in heaven and earth. Note: the Lord is both Man and God, so His Kingship over the earth and representation as Prince are both in respect to His new nature as the Heavenly Man. Since as God He already has FULL dominion over ALL creation. [Col. 1:15-17] So spirit-mankind, the bride of Christ, comes to exercise His authority taking over the void left by “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 So in the parable we see the Lord giving authority over cities to His servants that is over the NATIONS of those who are still in vessels of CLAY, “potters vessels.” [Matthew 19:28, Revelation 20:4, Luke 19:17-19] That is flesh-mankind, those in vessels of clay, have to be brought to submission to the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ over the whole Earth.
David also describes the millennium rule of Christ with His Saints as, “The Lord shall send the ROD of Your strength out of Zion. RULE in the MIDST of Your ENEMIES! Your people shall be volunteers in the DAY of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.” Psalm 110:2-3 [D.p] [SUBJECTIVE] In the dawning of a brand new day, is a reference to the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth in the year of His redeemed. His people are volunteers, is to say they will be His willing servants and holy as He is Holy. [Ephesians 1:4] The Dew of Your youth is a reference to eternal life, Paul in Hebrews making reference to the same exact passage in Psalms saying, “But because of His ABIDING to the age, He holds the PERMANENT priesthood.” Hebrews 7:11 Finally, when he says rule in the midst of the enemies, he is referring to His dealing with flesh-mankind. David follows the mandate of the Lord over the nations with, “Now therefore, be wise, O KINGS; Be instructed, you JUDGES of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be ANGRY, and you PERISH in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” Psalm 2:10-12
The important point being during the 1000 years reign of Christ, Flesh-Mankind will be dwelling with Spirit-Mankind. Those who inherit the earth are those who belong to Christ, spirit-mankind. [Romans 8:17] Paul says, “For the earnest expectation of the CREATION awaits the revelation of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19 So spirit-mankind will administer the will of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth meaning they will have to instruct flesh-mankind in His ways. Now, there is an inherit enmity between flesh and spirit, Paul says, “For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Galatians 5:17 Flesh responds to Law so the ROD of the Law is used against flesh-mankind. This is what Isaiah meant when he said, “rule in the midst of your enemies.” Bearing in mind Satan will be bound and thrown in the abyss for this ENTIRE period, yet the flesh-mankind is still corrected by a rod. [Ephesians 2:1-3]
So the ROD will be used with the nations that do not come to submission. The Lord said to David in reference to his son Solomon, “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the ROD of men and with the blows of the sons of men.” 2 Samuel 7:14 The ROD is a means of correction and in reference to the nations Zechariah says, “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have NO RAIN; they shall receive the PLAGUE with which the Lord STRIKES the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the PUNISHMENT of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:17-19
Isaiah also says, “Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall JUDGE between the nations, and REBUKE many people; They shall beat their SWORD into PLOUGHSHARES, and their SPEARS into PRUNING HOOKS; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn WAR anymore.” Isaiah 2:3-4 The main point being the Lord will rule over the earth with the might of His power. David in Psalm says, “The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall EXECUTE kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall EXECUTE the heads of many countries.” Psalm 110:5-6 Note: not in war, not with rod of men but as Zechariah says they will have no rain or will be stricken by a plague. Paul says of the Lord’s rule, “When He shall have annulled all dominion, and all authority and power. For it behoves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death.” 1 Cor. 15:24-26
So during the millennium rule of Christ nature itself will be at peace. Paul says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the CREATION itself will also be set FREE from the bondage of DECAY, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 Which Isaiah describes as, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s 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.” Isaiah 11:6-9 The description is the earth is being restored to its original intended purpose through Christ.
His name upon His ROBE and THIGH: “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Robe normally is a representation of righteousness. Isaiah says, “For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10 [Job 29:14] A THIGH is a representation of strength, in the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, the Bible records, “Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip [thigh]; and the socket of Jacob’s hip [thigh] was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” Genesis 32:25 The Lord after struggling with Jacob, He took away his strength until Jacob finally held on to Him until He blessed him.
David in the Psalm says, “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;… Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You LOVE righteousness and HATE wickedness.” Psalm 45:3-4, 6-7 So the significance of His name written upon His robe and thigh is that He rules His Kingdom in Righteousness and with the might of His strength subdues lawlessness. [J.b] teaches that the Lord not only loves righteousness but at the same time He HATES wickedness. Paul says of the Lord’s millennium rule, “For it behoves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet.” 1 Cor. 15:25 Note: His name is King of kings and Lord of lords, it is a statement of unequivocal Rulership, enforced with a sceptre of righteousness and the might of His strength.
The End of Age of Babylon.
“And I saw one ANGEL standing in the SUN, and he cried out in loud a voice, saying to all the BIRDS flying in MID-HEAVEN, “Come, gather yourselves unto the great SUPPER of God, so that you may EAT the flesh of KINGS, and the flesh of COMMANDERS, and the flesh of CAPTAINS, and the flesh of horses and of those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both FREE and SLAVES, and SMALL and GREAT.” [vs. 17-18]
The event described here is comparable to the Rapture of Church when the Fourth Seal is opened and the Sounding of the Sixth Trumpet. John describes the opening of the Fourth Seal as, “Behold, a pale horse, and the one sitting on it, the name of him was Death, and Hades was following with him; and authority was given to them over the fourth of the earth, to kill with SWORD, and with FAMINE, and with PLAGUE, and by the BEASTS of the EARTH.” Revelation 6:8 The effect of this EVENT was that a third of mankind were killed, which John later describes as, “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the GOLDEN altar before God, saying to the sixth angel, the one having the trumpet, “Release the four angels, those having been bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14 The point is when Christ came to collect His bride, the earth was also judged at the same time. “The voice from the golden altar before God,” is a representation of the righteous judgement of God upon the earth. So the four angels bound at the River Euphrates are released to bring devastation, the result of which was that the bodies of those fallen were left for the beast of the earth. [Please see Study Part 2 for the explanation on the discrepancy between the third and fourth of the earth’s population.]
In contrast the event described in the above verses is in respect to the Lord’s Second coming. And in regards to this John writes, “These have one mind, and they shall give up their power and authority to the beast. These will make WAR with the LAMB, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” Revelation 17:13-14 This is the description of the outcome of an event which started when the armies were gathered by the Dragon, Antichrist and False prophet. [Rev. 16:14-16] So here we have a description of the armies of the Earth preparing to battle against the kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord describes this very DAY as, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks and those practising lawlessness, and they will cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:41-42 So we see an angel standing on the Sun. The SUN is an expression for Righteousness, Malachi says, “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” Malachi 4:2 [Matthew 13:43, 1 Thess. 5:5] And Isaiah describes the coming of the Lord as, “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4 The implication being the Righteous Judgement of God according to a Man He appointed. [Acts 17:31, Romans 2:16] Note: It is the same righteousness of God nevertheless the Lord Jesus Christ is held up as the way mankind ought to be. God judges our heart by Christ Jesus He is the Gold standard, falling short of this, makes us subject to the WRATH of God. So we see the Son of Man sending His angel to proclaim the coming righteous judgement of God.
The main point being illustrated is DIRECTION, it is Heaven coming down TO earth in Judgement. So the angel is described as inviting the birds of heaven to the declaration that the winepress of the wrath of God is prepared. The Birds of Heaven are JUST normal birds, Asaph in the Psalm says, “The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.” Psalm 79:12 [Jeremiah 7:33] It is to the same effect, but the unique point being the exclusivity of the invitation which represents the return of the Lord, Heaven coming down and the haughtiness of mankind given to judgement of death. The pride of mankind is expressed in the army that is gathered by the kings of the earth in direct rebellion to the Lord. And their dead bodies will be given to the birds of heaven to feast on, to the destruction pronounced by the word of the Lord.
“And I saw the BEAST, and the KINGS of the EARTH, and their ARMIES, having been gathered together to make WAR with the ONE sitting on the horse and with His ARMY. And the BEAST was CAPTURED, and WITH him the FALSE PROPHET, the one having done the signs before him, by which he deceived those having received the MARK of the beast and those WORSHIPPING its IMAGE. The two were CAST living into the LAKE of FIRE burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the SWORD of the ONE sitting on the horse having gone forth out of HIS MOUTH. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” [vs. 19-20]
This is the highest expression of the pride of mankind, they are gathered to make war against the Lord in an act of rebellion against God. Isaiah says, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up— And it shall be brought low—” Isaiah 2:11-12 [And] “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.” Isaiah 24:21 The Lord Jesus Christ who is our example is portrayed as humbling Himself even to the point of death on the cross [Phil. 2:5-11] in obedience to God while mankind being chastened by God for their wickedness in response they presented a united front gathering the kingdoms of the world to battle. Daniel describes this moment as, “You watched while a Stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of IRON and CLAY, and broke them in pieces….Inasmuch as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the Iron, the Bronze, the Clay, the Silver, and the Gold—” Daniel 2:34,45 All of the main kingdoms of the world are identified here.
The main point in the above verse is the representation of both the kingdoms of Iron and Clay. That is there are two distinct groups of armies under the same rule of the Antichrist. The first describes those of the kingdom of Iron, “These [Ten Kings] have one mind, and they shall give up their power and authority to the Beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them.” Revelation 17:13-14 The second is, “And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way might be prepared of the KINGS of the RISING of the SUN.” Revelation 16:12 This is the army that is gathered from the kingdom of Clay, that is from the nations that surround Israel.
Of the act of gathering this army John writes, “And I saw coming out of the mouth of the DRAGON, and out of the mouth of the BEAST, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet, three unclean spirits, like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them together unto the battle of the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:13-14 Which Joel describes as, “Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up…” Joel 3:9-11 And Joel follows this proclamation with the statement,“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the SURROUNDING NATIONS. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, the vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” Joel 3:12-13 This is describing the invasion of Israel by the surrounding nations and made subject to their atrocities.
The kingdom of Clay represented by the false prophet is under the dominion of the Antichrist, and John writes, “And there was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” Revelation 13:7 Zechariah describes this period as, “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Zechariah 14:2 Joel also describes this moment as how the people of Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia, sold the people of Israel. “Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem you have sold to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders.” Joel 3:6 This event is contained in the Sixth Bowl, with the Lord giving Israel encouragement to stay faithful saying, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one watching and keeping his garments, so that he should not walk naked and they might see his shame.” Revelation 16:15 That is to say, Israel’s faith will be tested in those days.
After this when the Seventh bowl is poured out there is a great earthquake that shakes all the cities of the nations. Which is followed by the Ten kings of IRON burning down the Great Prostitute [Rome]. “And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her with fire.” Revelation 17:16 which is an expression of their total disregard for any form of worship of God, they HATE the prostitute which represents the Roman Catholic faith.
The NEXT main event is the one which the above verses describe when the armies of both Iron and Clay are gathered together to fight against the Lord, represented by the Antichrist “the Beast” and the False Prophet. Joel describes this as, “EGYPT shall be a desolation, and EDOM a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.” Joel 3:19-20 Egypt here represents the neighbouring nations “Clay” while Edom represents the nations of the world that rejected Christ “Iron,” specifically those looking at the natural to the disregard of the eternal. Which is an expression of Atheism which we have described in previous chapters as the religion of the kingdom of Iron, this is portrayed in their act against the Great Prostitute.
Isaiah also describes this final day as, “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Isaiah 63:1 [J.p] teaches Edom is a representation of a blood man, that is mankind whose life is in the blood. So like Joel, “Edom” here is not representing a geographical location, neither is “Bozrah,” which means sheepfold. In the book of Genesis, Edom was a neighbouring nation founded by Esau the brother of Jacob. He was called Esau because when he was born his body was covered with a red garment of hair. [Genesis 25:25] and was described as “a man of the field.” The main concept of the story between these TWIN brothers was their attitude towards the eternal riches. Paul describes it as, “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:16 While Jacob valued the blessing of God even to the point of tricking his brother, God only saw the fact Esau despised His blessing. So Edom is a representation of nations, people of the world that disregard the things of God in pursuit of natural things.
So Isaiah is basically saying, the Lord comes from the sheepfold “Bozrah” of the blood mankind “Edom” with His garment splattered with their blood. Which is an expression for the Lord’s judgement on flesh-mankind. In this instance both Iron and Clay are represented as one, “Gentiles,” those without a covenant relationship with God. So the Lord will return to deliver Jacob “Israel” and Judge Esau “Edom.”
Zechariah describes this event as, “Then the Lord will go forth and FIGHT against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You.” Zechariah 14:3-5 This is the event this chapter describes, the Lord returning with the armies of Heaven. Joel also describes it as, “The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” Joel 3:16 So we see the Lord fighting against the Gentile nations “Edom” while delivering Israel “Jacob.”
The BEAST was CAPTURED, and with him the FALSE PROPHET: Paul writes, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth and will annul by the appearing of His coming.” 2 Thess. 2:8 And Isaiah says, “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4 Now the simple point of view seems to suggest that the Lord destroyed them with a word and they disintegrated, “be consumed,” but the actual event says, the Antichrist and the False prophet were CAPTURED and THEN “The two were cast living into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” These two are the only ones that are sent to the Lake of Fire a 1000 years before anyone else, even prior to Satan himself, one angel Abbadon representing the high and exalted ones and one man the false prophet representing mankind. [Isaiah 24:21]
The point we want to address here is simply a matter of process, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks and those practising lawlessness, and they will cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:41-42 So the breath or rod of His mouth is the word of command the Lord gives to His angels. They are the ones in obedience to the Son of Man who will capture the Antichrist and the False prophet to cast them into the lake of fire alive. To the SAME effect the army of the kings of the earth as well as all the “REST” a reference to those who received the MARK of the beast will be stricken by the Sword of His mouth. The mark of the beast is a representation of the Islamic faith! [Rev. 14:9-11] The effect of which Zechariah describes as, “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbour, and raise his hand against his neighbour’s hand.” Zechariah 14:12-13
This is to the same effect as in the days of King David as well as the prophet Elisha. King David when he sinned by numbering Israel and Judah, the Lord sent an angel to strike Israel with the plague. [2 Samuel 24:15-16] In the days of Elisha when the Syrian army surrounded him, he prayed to the Lord that his servants eyes may be opened to see and when God granted the request, Gehazi saw, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. [2 Kings 6:16-18] With all these angelic army Elisha’s request to God was they may be blinded NOT physically but for them to be bewildered that they may not know where they are. So we see here as well the armies of the nations being bewildered to the point of raising their hands against one another to utter destruction.
Keeping with the narration of Judgement coming down from above, their flesh was eaten by the birds of Heaven.
Revelation 20: Millennium Reign.
The previous chapter ended with the destruction of Babylon which represented the Age of Chaos and Confusion, a time when flesh-mankind was separated by languages and kingdoms and nations rose against each other which ended with the defeat of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. This event corresponds to the events described in the Fifth Seal of Revelation 6.
This will be followed by the beginning of a New AGE of the Reign of Christ which will run for a Thousand years. As stated in the previous chapter the interesting fact of this AGE is that spirit-mankind will dwell on earth along with flesh-mankind. So during this period, natural life will continue as normal but according to the righteous rule of God in Christ. [Isaiah 11:1-10; 65:20-25] So flesh-mankind, that is the rest of the world that has survived the ordeals of the previous Age will still be subject to Death. Paul writes, “The last enemy to be abolished is death.” 1 Cor. 15:26 And the kingdom, government and rule of flesh-mankind will be brought into subjection to the rule of Christ and His Saints. King David describes the Lord’s rule as, “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” Psalm 2:7-12 [Rev. 2:26-27]
Now, since there WILL be two TYPES of Mankind on Earth as such there will be two terms by which we are able to identify this Age: the Age of Solomon as it pertains to Israel and the spirit-mankind and the Age of Tyre as it pertains to flesh-mankind. [1 Kings 2-11, Ezekiel 27-28] The kingdom of Solomon being a TYPE of the millennium reign of Christ, a time of peace and prosperity for the whole world. [J.p] This period is found between the end of the Fifth Seal and the opening of the Sixth Seal when the great day of the Wrath of the Lamb will come, which is covered at the end of this chapter in verses 11-15. [Rev. 6:16-17]
The interpretation of this chapter is substantiated by the writings of Ezekiel in chapters 37-39 which describes Israel being raised out of her Grave and David being their King and Prince leading to the final outcome of the destruction of Gog and Magog. As well as in the writings of Isaiah chapters 24-27, that begins with the destruction of Babylon and ends with the final end of Satan, as well as Isaiah 60 that describes the great prosperity of Jerusalem during this period.
“And I saw an angel descending out of heaven, holding in his hand the KEY of the ABYSS, and a GREAT CHAIN. And he SEIZED the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and BOUND him for a THOUSAND years. And he cast him into the Abyss, and SHUT and SEALED it over him, so that he should NOT DECEIVE the NATIONS any longer, until the thousand years were completed. After these things it is necessary for him to be RELEASED for a little time.” [vs. 1-3]
Here we see an angel descending out of heaven, in Chapter 9 we saw a star FALLEN from heaven which is a representation of the devil, being GIVEN the key to the ABYSS in order to make way for the angel Abaddon to rise. This sets a precedent which we ought to get hold of. The angel Abaddon was killed and thrown into the depth of the Abyss for 2000 years. [Daniel 7:11] And he will be allowed to return for a short period in these final days, and will serve to expose the deceitful haughty hearts of mankind when they submit to his rule and rise against God leading to their destruction described in the previous chapter. Likewise, Satan also will be bound for a thousand years and thrown into the same PIT after which he also will be released and will also serve to expose the deceitful haughty hearts of mankind of the Age to come by enticing them to rise against the Saints of God and it will serve to be their destruction as well as his own. That is EVEN during the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ there will be among flesh-mankind those who are rebellious, hence His rule is described as, “with the ROD of Iron.”
Isaiah describes the binding of Satan as,“You will take up this proverb against the king of BABYLON, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers; He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and no one hinders. The whole EARTH is at REST and QUIET; They break forth into singing.” Isaiah 14:4-7 The king of Babylon is one of the TERMS by which the devil is known. [J.p] teaches that Babylon means confusion, driven from the word “Babel.” In Genesis the first kingdom mankind ever built was the city of Babel, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a TOWER that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.” Genesis 11:4 And God seeing their works dispersed them over the whole face of the earth. “So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord CONFUSED the language of the whole world.” Genesis 11:8-9 In this instance Babylon is a TYPE of an AGE, a period of confusion.
Throughout this AGE we have Babylon being pitted against the kingdom of God. Babylon of Chaldeans against Jerusalem, Babylon of Rome against Jerusalem and Christians, last of all the kingdoms of the world represented by the city of confusion [Babylon] against the Lord. [Isaiah 24]
The Age of Babylon comes to an end in the previous chapter at the Second coming of the Lord. Isaiah describes it as, “The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. “Lift up a banner on the high mountain, raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. I have commanded My SANCTIFIED ones; I have also called My MIGHTY ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts musters the ARMY for battle. They come from a FAR country, from the END of HEAVEN— The Lord and His weapons of indignation, to destroy the whole land.” Isaiah 13:1-5 This is describing the return of the Lord with the Armies of Heaven, the sanctified ones is a reference to spirit-mankind and the mighty ones is a reference to angels. The Lord says of the outcome of the battle, “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.” Isaiah 13:11-12
The first and foremost event that follows after the Great Battle is the binding of Satan in order to cast him down into the ABYSS for a thousand years so that he may not deceive the nations of the world, flesh-mankind. The Age of Babylon ends with him. Isaiah describes this as, “Hell [Sheol] from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.” Isaiah 14:9-11 Now, in some translation the word “Sheol” is translated as “Hell” but this is wrong.
Hezekiah a beloved king of Israel, who turned his heart towards God to serve Him more than any other king of Israel, before or after him. [2 Kings 18:5-6] When he was contemplating his death said, “I said, “In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of SHEOL; I am deprived of the remainder of my years…. For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the PIT cannot hope for Your truth.” Isaiah 38:10,18 The point is Sheol is a place in the heart of the earth where flesh-mankind go when they die. This is supported in the writings of Job, David and others. Note: when the dead see Satan being cast down to the depth of Sheol like them they said to him, “Have you also become as weak as we?” So Isaiah 14 is NOT describing the final ending place of the devil but the place of his imprisonment along with the dead of the earth, cast down into the ABYSS, the PIT, SHEOL but NOT into Hell, Gehenna.
This has significance because Sheol, Abyss, Hades is the place of imprisonment from which he as well as the rest of mankind must be released in due time. [Rev. 20:7, 13] Isaiah writes of the outcome that follows after the great battle at the end of the Age of Babylon as, “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of EXALTED ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, AS PRISONERS are gathered in the PIT, and will be SHUT UP in the prison; After MANY days they will be PUNISHED. Then the MOON will be disgraced and the SUN ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will REIGN on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.” Isaiah 24:21-23 The host of exalted ones is describing the heavenly hosts, rulers of darkness, spiritual powers of wickedness and principalities of whom the head is Satan. [Eph. 6:12] These along with the kings of the earth will be held in the PIT, ABYSS, SHEOL for many days, which is a reference for the 1000 years of the reign of Christ to await the final judgement of the LAST day. Isaiah describes this period as, “The whole EARTH is at REST and QUIET; They break forth into singing.” The ONLY exceptions to this are the Antichrist and the False Prophet who are cast ALIVE into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, that is Hell, at the end of the Age of Babylon described in Revelation 19.
There is a point worth considering, Hell is a concept that comes into full being in the New Testament. God said to Adam, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly DIE.” Genesis 2:17 NOT that you will burn in Hell. Paul also says, “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23 And he describes the ministry of Moses as, “Now if the ministry of death, having been engraved in letters on stones.” 2 Cor. 3:7 That, it is the SIN of the flesh that is punished in death, being cast into the depth of Sheol, the Pit or Hades. Paul also says, “The BODY is dead because of Sin.” [Romans 8:10] David also describes the end of flesh-mankind to be their tombs. “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them— the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— so that they should LIVE on FOREVER and NOT see DECAY. For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. Their TOMBS will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.” Psalm 49:7-10
And of the redemption of mankind Isaiah says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a STONE for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious Cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place. Your COVENANT with DEATH will be ANNULLED, and your AGREEMENT with SHEOL will NOT stand.” Isaiah 28:16-18 Isaiah is declaring how Christ is the sure foundation of the gold standard of perfect righteousness and in Him Death and Sheol are brought to an END. And he follows this with, “Now therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong; For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, a DESTRUCTION is determined even upon the whole EARTH.” [v.s 22] Which Peter described as, “But by the same word now the heavens and the earth exist, having been stored up for FIRE, being kept unto the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:3-7 The end of which is to burn in everlasting fire.
The point is to illustrate what it costs to give mankind reprieve from Death and Sheol, which is none other than the life of the Son of God, the Eternal God made flesh that He may taste death like mankind. [Hebrew 2:9] Paul clearly distinguishes for us the difference between Sheol:Hades and Gehenna:Hell in his letter to the Hebrews. “Anyone having set aside the Law of Moses DIES without mercies on the basis of two or three witnesses. How much WORSE PUNISHMENT do you think will he deserve, the one having trampled upon the Son of God, and having esteemed ordinary the BLOOD of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and having insulted the Spirit of GRACE?” Hebrews 10:28-29 Paul compares the punishment of the Law which is death and Sheol to that of the rejection of Christ. That is, Hell is a fitting punishment for rejecting the FREE gift of righteousness that came at the EXPENSE of the LIFE of the SON of GOD! THIS is the DEPTH of MAGNITUDE of the PRICE that was paid and why the rejection of which is EQUALLY ETERNALLY punished in LAKE of FIRE.
That is, it is the VALUE of Christ’s life, what makes hell a fitting punishment for ungodly mankind! The ONE sin for which ALL of mankind is EQUALLY judged for, “Concerning SIN indeed, because they DO NOT believe in Me.” John 16:9 So we may say, the judgement of Sin is Death while the judgement of Righteousness is Hell, which we will see being supported in the reference to the nations of the Age to come. Sheol, the Pit, Hades is a place of torment for mankind because of the demons that dwell there. So we may say there is NOT a single soul that is in hell this very day, since none will go there UNTIL the final day of Judgement in Rev 20:11. Peter says “For if God did not spare the angels having sinned, but having cast them down to Tartarus, in chains of gloomy darkness, delivered them, being KEPT for JUDGEMENT.” 2 Peter 2:4 That is the angels are presently held for judgement in depth of the earth, bearing in mind this earth and the present heaven are reserved for fire. So the Lord says, Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels and those who reject Christ. [Matthew 25:41]
Isaiah uses the term “king of Babylon” for the devil, because the destruction of Babylon is a type of being made desolate with no one dwelling it but not quite destroyed, this was true of the Babylon of Chaldeans [Isaiah 13:19-22, Jeremiah 50:39-40] and will also be true of Babylon of Rome [Revelation 18:2, 21-23] The devil is also thrown into the PIT to a place of desolation for a long time where he CANNOT influence the living, the end of the AGE of Violence, destruction and plunder which Babylon embodies. The Lord described the devil as, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” John 8:44 Isaiah describes the devil’s rule as, “The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression…“Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” Isaiah 14:5-6, 16-17 [Note:] There is another expression for the devil as the “king of Tyre,” which complements this point of view and will be addressed later.
In contrast the Isiaiah describes the Lord’s rule on earth as, “They will beat their SWORDS into ploughshares and their SPEARS into pruning hooks. Nation will NOT take up sword against nation, NOR will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4 [AND] “The WOLF and the LAMB will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and lamb is an expression for flesh-mankind, that is the just and unjust will be dwelling in the world in peace. [Isaiah 26:9-10; 65:20]
Paul says, “And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 This describes the moment when the devil will not be able to have ANY influence over the elect of God that is spirit-mankind. John described the joyous celebration of those in heaven when the devil was cast out of heaven saying, “And they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony; and they have NOT loved their life unto DEATH. Because of this, rejoice O heavens, and those dwelling in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great fury.” Rev. 12:11-12 While heaven rejoiced because the Slanderer was cast out from their midst, however there is a warning given to the earth because he has come down to us. The consequence of this in regard to those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he says, “they have not loved their life unto death,” that is our mortal body being made subject to his persecution. However when spirit-mankind is clothed with the heavenly habitation in the likeness of the Lord then Satan is indeed crushed under our feet, spirit-mankind has now FULLY attained to the victory in Christ over the devil and death. [1 Cor. 15:54-57] Nevertheless, flesh-mankind will still be subject to his deceit and the consequence of death when he is released at the end of a thousand years.
The Age of the Lord.
“And I saw THRONES, and THEY sat upon them, and JUDGEMENT was given to them, and the SOULS of those having been BEHEADED because of the TESTIMONY of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who did NOT worship the BEAST, nor his IMAGE, and did NOT take the MARK upon the forehead, and upon their hand. And they LIVED and REIGNED with Christ a thousand years. The REST of the DEAD did not LIVE again until the thousand years shall have been completed. This is the FIRST RESURRECTION. BLESSED and HOLY is the one having a part in the first resurrection! Over these the SECOND DEATH has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will REIGN with Him a thousand years.” [vs. 4-6]
John in these verses is describing the beginnings of the millennium reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. The thrones is a reference to 12 thrones of the disciples of Jesus, the Lord said, “Truly I say to you that in the REGENERATION, when the SON of MAN shall sit down upon His THRONE of GLORY, you having followed Me, you also will SIT on TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28 Note: they are judging the twelve tribes of Israel, not the world. The point being those who followed Him will also be given thrones to sit in judgement over the nations of the world. The Lord said, “And the one overcoming and keeping My works until the end, I will give to him authority over the NATIONS, and he will SHEPHERD them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken in pieces—just as I also have received from My Father.” Revelation 2:26-27 This is a portrayal of spirit-mankind made in the likeness of the Lord presiding over flesh-mankind, which is the essence the Lord impressed upon us in the parables of the good and faithful servants. [Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-26] Paul describes it as, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs: heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16-17 [Gala. 4:7]
Souls of those having been BEHEADED: This resurrection is referring to the JEWS only, those who have lived through the time of the kingdom of IRON and CLAY, having been subjected to the persecution of the Antichrist and the False prophet. These will have to stand firm in rejecting the worship of the beast and his image and the Mark of the beast, ALL of which are grounds for forfeiting their lives, “Should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast would be KILLED.” Rev. 13:15 They will have to survive the time of hardship being unable to buy or sell brought upon them by the oppression of the surrounding nations ruled by the false prophet. The Lord says to them, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one watching and keeping his garments, so that he should not walk naked and they might see his shame.” Rev. 16:15 So these are those who have withstood to the very end EVEN unto death, having been “beheaded” for their testimony of Jesus and the word of God.
In Revelation 6 in the Fifth Trumpet, these faithful are described as those, “They shall rest yet a little time, UNTIL their fellow servants would also be complete, and their brothers, THOSE being about to be KILLED as they also had been.” Rev. 6:11 Now the church of God are those who are described returning with the Lord in the previous chapter, and these will be united as one with those who are to be killed during this period. John uniquely addressed this in Revelation 15, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with FIRE, and those conquering over the beast, and over its image, and over the number of its name, standing upon the sea of glass, having harps of God. And they are singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.” Rev.15:2 The song of Moses is specific to JEWS only. These are the LAST from among flesh-mankind that will attain to be spirit-mankind in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ to live and reign with Him. As we have described in the previous chapter the Sea of Glass is a representation of the kingdom of heaven and the fire represents the means by which these LAST will attain to it, “Beheaded.”
The REST of the Dead: this is a broad term that applies to ALL who are presently held in depth of Hades, because they have rejected Christ as well as all those who are yet to perish during the period of wrath more specifically from among the Gentiles. These will NOT be raised but will have to await the judgement of the final day described in verses 11-15 at the end of the thousand years. ONLY those from among the Jews who come to faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ during this period and lose their lives for the sake of their faith will be raised to Reign with Him.
We would like to assert here that there is still incentive for the Gentiles to resist the Antichrist and false prophet during this period, because those who do and survive will live during the millennium reign of Christ. However, the Lord does give a STERN warning to those who give in to the Antichrist and false prophet, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the ANGER of God, having been mixed UNDILUTED in the cup of His wrath; and he will be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9-10 So there will be those who are left of the nations who have not submitted and these will live during the 1000 years reign of Christ. These are the roots of the nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:1-13 those whom Zechariah describes as, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is LEFT of all the NATIONS which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16
The implication of all this is that, there will be on earth flesh-mankind that is composed of both Jews and Gentiles who have resisted and survived. This will remain subject to the natural laws, and will still be subject to death. That is, DEATH will not be subdue until 1000 years reign comes to an end. So Isaiah says of this AGE, “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” Isaiah 65:20 Note: Isaiah makes it clear that even during that time there will be among mankind who are wicked, “sinners.” [Isaiah 26:10] The point is flesh-mankind will continue to marry and have childrens and multiply and will live out their lives in peace to a very old age, ”For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people.” Isaiah 65:21 Zechariah also describes this period as, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘OLD men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of GREAT AGE. The streets of the city shall be full of BOYS and GIRLS playing in its streets.’” Zechariah 8:4-5
The First RESURRECTION: Paul says in reference to those who have fallen asleep and have been with the Lord, “We the living, remaining unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those having fallen asleep, because the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the DEAD IN CHRIST will rise first. Then we, the living remaining, will be caught away together with them in the clouds for the meeting of the Lord in the air.” 1 Thess. 4:15-17 Here Paul is describing to us the rapture of the Church to be raised along those who were dead by putting on the incorruptible heavenly body in the likeness of the Lord. “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For it behoves this, the perishable to put on the imperishable; and this, the mortal to put on immortality.” 1 Cor. 15:52-53
Therefore, ONE thing makes the first resurrection UNIQUE, that is those who are raised from the dead are raised in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ to be SPIRIT-MANKIND. The Lord describes this resurrection as, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those having been considered worthy to obtain that which is to the age, and the RESURRECTION which is from the DEAD, neither marry nor are given in marriage. For NEITHER are they able to DIE any more, for they are like the angels and are SONS of GOD, being SONS of the RESURRECTION.” Luke 20:34-36 So the resurrection of the dead when the Lord returns to receive His bride as well as those who are changed at the blast of the last trumpet is no different from those described in this chapter as the souls of those that were beheaded. It is the SAME resurrection.
John described it as, “Behold what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God— and we are! Because of this, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be LIKE Him, for we will SEE Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1-2 The main concept is that the present Church attains to His likeness BODILY on the day of the Rapture when we SEE Him in the clouds, likewise the Jews that perished during this period of wrath will attain to His likeness when they also see Him as He raises them out of their graves. Ezekiel says, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, O My people, I will open your GRAVES and cause you to COME UP from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:12-14
The main concept we want to stress here is that Israel is being raised from their GRAVES bodily, which is described in this chapter. The Lord has spoken about putting His Spirit into Israel in Ezekiel 11:19-21 as well as Ezekiel 36:25-27 for those who respond in faith, none of which required them to be raised from their graves. However here the Lord makes it clear that it is those who are physically in dust and grave that He is going to raise by putting His Spirit in them, “beheaded.” Isaiah describes it as, “Your dead shall live; [plural] Together with [My] dead body they shall arise. [singular] Awake and SING, you who DWELL in DUST; For your dew is like the dew of herbs [morning], and the EARTH shall cast out [bring forth] the DEAD.” Isaiah 26:19 There are only two times where those who dwell in the dust are raised to the JOY of singing. As we have stated before Christians DO NOT dwell in the dust, “Now we are confident and are pleased rather to be absent out of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:8 And the body we put on is NOT from dust of the ground but a habitation from heaven, “For we know that if the tent of our earthly house should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1
So the first instance where the prophecies of Isaiah apply is when the Lord Himself was first raised from the dead, Matthew says, “And the TOMBS were OPENED, and BODIES of the SAINTS having fallen asleep AROSE. And having gone forth out of the tombs after HIS resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:52-53 We have explained in the previous chapter this is not the raising of the dead in the likeness of Lazarus but a RESURRECTION in the likeness of the Lord so Isaiah says, “Your dead shall live; Together with [My] dead body they shall arise.” This event is what was prophesied by Daniel saying, “And many of those who sleep in the DUST of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2 Which the Lord Himself referred to saying, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in the TOMBS will hear His voice, and will come forth—those having done good to the RESURRECTION of LIFE, and those having done evil to the RESURRECTION of JUDGEMENT.” John 5:28-29 So those who are raised with the Lord, are raised to sing with joy. However those who are condemned are raised for JUDGEMENT, just as the angels are held for judgement, that is to say on the final day. Note: they were raised in their natural body, which the Lord Himself was also raised in before entering heaven to put on His spiritual HEAVENLY [meaning FROM heaven] body. [Psalm 139:15]
Peter described this moment as, “For to this end the gospel was proclaimed even to the DEAD, so that they might be judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but they might live in the spirit according to God.” 1 Peter 4:6 That is the CROSS was a pivotal point in history that separated the dead, those prior from those who come after! Daniel was speaking of those who were prior.
The second instance where those who dwell in the dust are raised with the JOY of singing is, as it applies to the children of Israel, who are to be killed “beheaded” for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the word of God. These also will come out of the GRAVES when the Lord returns, the souls of those having been beheaded will live and reign with Christ a thousand years. This will put on the spiritual body in the likeness of the Lord, which is what Ezekiel is speaking about, “I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live.” So the LAST are as much spirit-mankind as those who have preceded them. However the “Rest of the Dead” that dwell in the DUST will NOT be raised until the final day of judgement.
Blessed and Holy are those: “Therefore if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a New Creation. The old things have passed away; behold, the new has come into being.” 2 Cor. 5:17 The Lord calls us, “sons of God and sons of the Resurrection.” The magnitude of this marvel we have not quite grasped. Since NOT everyone attains the privilege of a NEW CREATION in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ to be spirit-mankind, that we may be present before God to serve Him forever. [Rev. 22:4-5] Especially considering there will still be flesh-mankind.
The Second Death has NO Authority: The second death is a reference to the final separation of created beings from their Creator. Those who are subject to this judgement are fallen angels which Peter referred to saying, “For if God did not spare the angels having sinned, but having cast them down to Tartarus, in chains of gloomy darkness, delivered them, being kept for judgement.” 2 Peter 2:4 And mankind which Paul described as, “The revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with His mighty angels, in a fire of flame, inflicting vengeance on those not knowing God and on those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, who will suffer the penalty of ETERNAL DESTRUCTION away from the PRESENCE of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” 1 Thess. 1:7-9 The end of which the Lord will say, “Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41
Note: physical death is NOT separation from God, those who dwell in the dust, the Lord said, “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.’ Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for ALL live to Him.” Luke 20:37-38 The Second death is what follows, that is separation from God being cast BODY and SOUL into the eternal fire. [Matthew 10:28] Isaiah describes it as, “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:24
So the Second Death has no authority over those whose life is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have attained eternal life that is only found in Him. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone beholding the Son and believing in Him should have ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise him up in the last day.” John 6:40 [And] “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and never shall they perish to the age, and never will anyone seize them out of My hand.” 10:27-28 John describes it as, “And this is the testimony: that God has given to us ETERNAL LIFE, and THIS LIFE is in His SON. The one having the Son has LIFE; the one not having the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12 That is those who are redeemed from the likeness of Adam [flesh-mankind] to be made in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ to be spirit-mankind.
The Kingdom of Solomon.
[J.p] teaches that the reign of the kingdom of Solomon with all his wisdom and abundance of provision in a time of great peace is a TYPE of the millennium reign of Christ.
The first point we want to establish is that, the Age of Solomon was marked by the fact Israel had FULL possession of her land, “For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River [Euphrates] from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had PEACE on every side all around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt SAFELY, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” 1 Kings 4:24-25 Which is according to the promise God gave to Joshua 1:4. And Ezekiel describes the millennium reign of the Lord in a similar way, “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgements and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.” Ezekiel 37:24-28
The next point we want to draw parallel with is that, king Solomon had 12 governors that administered the land of Israel. [1 Kings 4:7-21] When the Lord comes He also is going to set thrones, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given to them.” which is an expression for the fulfilment of the word of the Lord, “Truly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit down upon His throne of glory, you having followed Me, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28
Now, in the book of Kings when Solomon was crowned king, his first official recorded acts were that he put Adonijah, his brother, Joab the commander of the army and Shemei a rebellious citizen to death and he removed Abiathar from being a priest. [1 Kings 2:24-34] The house of Shemei stands for those who rebel against the rule of King David. [1 Kings 2:8-9] And his death was unique because he was the only one allowed to dwell in the presence of king Solomon until he transgressed the word he came in agreement with. In the Law of Moses an escaped slave should not be given back to his old master, so Shemei is an example of one who has not remembered the kindness shown to him. [Deut. 23:15-16, 1 Kings 2:42-46]
The relation to the kingdom of the Lord is that, the Lord will also remove the “rebellious” rulers of the nations which Adonijah represents, king David writes, “The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.” Psalm 110:5-6 Which will be mainly addressed in the last battle of the Age of Babylon where kings [Adonijah] and their commanders [Joab] who rose in opposition to the Lord will be put to death. [Rev. 19:18-21] Isaiah describes the outcome as, “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4 [Psalm 2:10-12]
The removal of Abiathar from the priesthood represents the end of the old system of the Law, being replaced by the priests of the New Age, the bride of Christ. Abiathar was a descendant of Eli, a priest who, being weak in his flesh, did not give God the honour that was due Him. Eli was replaced by a son born to a woman named Hannah meaning Grace. [1 Samuel 2 :27-35] That is the old system of priesthood has come to an end and replaced by a perfect one. “For the Law appoints as high priests men having WEAKNESS; but the word of the oath, which is after the Law, a Son having been PERFECTED to the AGE.” Hebrews 7:28 And John says of us who are made in the LIKENESS of His image, “He has made us a kingdom, PRIESTS to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion to the ages of the ages. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 [1 Peter 2:9] Note: The Law is not put to death because it is essentially good but it is superseded by a better covenant. [Hebrews 8:6] Another point worth considering in respect of being a HELPMATE to the Lord is that the first and main wife of Solomon was an Egyptian which is a representation that the majority of the bride of Christ is composed of the Gentile world. It is the same concept we have discussed in the previous chapters from the teachings of [J.p] where when Joseph also came to power in the kingdom of Egypt he also had an Egyptian as wife, “And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:45
Last, we have Shemei who simply represents the inhabitants of the world who have heard the Gospel and have not accepted the Lord, those who are enraged against Him. [Luke 19:14, Rev. 16:21] Nevertheless they have managed to survive the days of Wrath, and these will be allowed to live out their days under the rule of the Lord. Yet, some will remain rebellious to the end, Isaiah says, “Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 26:10 which is a representation of the people of Gog and Magog with all the rest of the nations who, being deceived by the devil, will rise up against the saints of the last days. They also have not remembered the kindness that was shown to them.
The next concept we want to draw parallel with the reign of the Lord is the period of peace which God gave Solomon throughout his reign during which he built the Temple of the Lord. King Solomon wrote a letter to the king of Tyre Hiram saying, “You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his FOES under the SOLES of his FEET. But now the Lord my God has given me REST on every side; there is neither ADVERSARY nor evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.” 1 Kings 5:3-5
[B.j] teaches the word used for an “adversary” is the word “Satan” the implication being during the millennium reign of Christ, Satan and his angels will be bound and cast down into Sheol so that those who dwell on Earth will be free from his deception, “no evil occurrence.” Which is the result of, “the Lord put his FOES under the SOLES of his FEET.” Paul says of the Lord’s reign, “For it behoves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet.” 1 Cor. 15:25 And we are the body of Christ, so Paul says, “And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 and he will be literally under our feet being in the PIT. [1 Cor. 15:54-57, Heb. 2:14] The result of which is that there will be a period of peace in the world, which Isaiah described as, “The whole earth is at REST and QUIET; They break forth into singing.” Isaiah 14:7 [And] “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.” Isaiah 11:9 That is creation itself will be set free from corruption. [Romans 8:19-21] Note: death and the devil are not put under the feet of flesh-mankind but ONLY to those who are in Christ.
Zechariah describes this period of the Lord, “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the TEMPLE of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall SIT and RULE on His THRONE; So He shall be a PRIEST on His THRONE, and the counsel of PEACE shall be between them both.” Zechariah 6:12-13 We have addressed the issue of the third temple in the previous chapters. The main point being the Lord is NOT building a physical temple according to the Law, since the Lord being from the tribe of Judah is disqualified from its service. [Hebrews 7:13-16] So during the Age of Grace, the Temple of the Lord is the children of God in whom the Spirit of God dwells. [Ephesians 2:20-22] That is we being made in His likeness bodily and having been joined with Him to be one spirit are able to serve Him as priests perfectly.
Now, in addressing the question of the Third Temple we have failed to take into account the fundamental difference that exists between mankind of different Ages. In the Age of the Law, when God was served in the FLESH a Temple [a physical place to meet with God] was a necessary aspect of worship. However this was changed during the Age of Grace when mankind served God in their spirits, the people themselves being the dwelling place of God: Temple. [John 4:21-24] Now once more, in the coming Age of Righteousness, mankind will once again serve God in the flesh, making the Temple [a physical place to meet with God] a necessary aspect of worship. [Zech. 14:16] Only this time it is not according to the Law of Moses but according to the Lord in righteousness through whom the Priesthood and the Kingship are combined to be as one. [Isaiah 11:5, Jeremiah 23:5-6] Jeremiah describes this period as, “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ARK of the COVENANT of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, NOR shall they VISIT it, nor shall it be made anymore. At that time JERUSALEM shall be called The THRONE of the LORD, and all the NATIONS shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.” Jeremiah 3:16-17 So during this period the concept of Temple takes a different form as it did during the Age of Grace, that CREATION itself having been set free from corruption is made to represent the Temple of the Lord. [Romans 8:19-20]
This is illustrated in the Kingdom of Solomon, through the various buildings he built the main two of NOTE being the Temple of the Lord and the Palace of his dwelling. The book of first kings records, “In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. Now the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits.” 1 Kings 6:1-2 which took him 7 years to accomplish, in the 11th year of his reign. Then, “Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished ALL his house. He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars… Then he made a HALL for the throne, the Hall of Judgement, where he might judge; and it was panelled with cedar from floor to ceiling. And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this HALL for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.” 1 King 7:1-2,7-8 So we clearly see a separation between the throne and the priesthood, while the Temple served as a place of worship, his Palace served as a place where he rendered judgements and received dignitaries of the nations. [Interesting Note: Rev. 4 describes the beginning when Heaven was opened to receive the Lord and to start building His Temple, the body of Christ which will be finished in Rev. 11 when the Last of the Jews will be added, and the whole body of Christ is described in Rev. 7]
There is a point worth considering, that the building of the Temple of the Lord is ACCORDING to king Solomon. What we mean by that is, the Temple is built during a time of NO Adversary in the place where the Builder is located. King Solomon said, “until the Lord put his [king David’s] FOES under the SOLES of his FEET. But now the Lord my God has given me REST on every side; there is neither ADVERSARY nor evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the builder. [Matthew 17:18, Hebrews 3:4-6] And the Lord through His death and resurrection has triumphed against the Devil, He has put him under His feet. [Col. 2:15, Hebrews 2:9] The effect of His victory was first declared in Heaven, when the Lord cast out Satan and his angels that they may be NO ADVERSARY in heaven, “Because of this, rejoice O heavens, and those dwelling in them!” [Rev. 12:10-12] And it is in this time of NO adversary in heaven that the Lord started to build His Church, the Temple of God in the Spirit. [Eph. 2:19-22] We in the flesh may be in the world but we are CALLED out of it and are registered as citizens of Heaven. Paul calls the Church of God, “the assembly, to the church of the firstborn having been ENROLLED in the heavens.” Hebrews 12:23 When king Solomon built the Temple of the Lord, the stones used were finished stones, that no noise of shaping of stone was heard in Jerusalem. That is the world is the quarry, from where stones are being cut out, shaped and perfected that they may take their place in heaven, to be the Temple of God. [1 King 6:7] Representing the FIRST building Solomon built, the bride of Christ.
The Second structure Solomon built was the whole Land of Jerusalem also built under the SAME conditions. So when the Lord returns to Earth, Satan will once again be cast under foot and thrown into the depth of the PIT. There will be no adversary on earth as it was in heaven. And the Lord will build Jerusalem, the place of His feet to be glorious, that is He will build a KINGDOM, where He will sit and rule as Priest and King from His throne. “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’” Zechariah 8:3 This is a foreshadow of New Heaven and Earth, where the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God sits at the CENTRE of the whole Earth to give it light. So the Lord He will build ALL of Jerusalem and Judah, “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined CITIE(S), the desolations of many generations.” Isaiah 61:4 A place where the people of the nations can come and worship the Lord from ANY place in the land of Judah, where the WHOLE land is Holiness to the Lord. [Zechariah 14:20-21]
Isaiah makes it abundantly clear that the Lord will build a glorious structure, during His Millennium Reign, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall SEEK Him, and His RESTING PLACE shall be GLORIOUS.” Isaiah 11:10 [AND] “They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the HOUSE of MY GLORY… “The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, but in My favour I have had mercy on you. Therefore your GATES shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession…. “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to BEAUTIFY the place of MY SANCTUARY; And I will make the PLACE of MY FEET GLORIOUS…. And they shall call you The CITY of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 60:7,10-11,13,14; Isaiah 61:4] Ezekiel also writes, “Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My SANCTUARY in their midst forevermore. My TABERNACLE also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Ezekiel 37:26-27
For spirit-mankind, the body of Christ is the Temple of God, wherever we are the Spirit of God is always with us. For flesh-mankind it is necessary to have a place where they come to worship the Lord, which is the Temple. So the prophecy of Zechariah 6:12-13 states the Lord will build the Temple of the Lord TWICE. The Temple which the Lord built during the Age of Grace is the body of Christ, which Zechariah refers to first saying, “From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the TEMPLE of the LORD.” The Second is a reference to the place of His sanctuary which the Lord will build during the Age to come for all flesh-mankind to come and worship Him and hear His judgement. Zechariah refers to this saying, “Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall SIT and RULE on His THRONE; So He shall be a PRIEST on His THRONE, and the counsel of PEACE shall be between them both.” That is the Lord will administer His Kingdom as both Priest and King, ruling from His Throne in Jerusalem. The UNIQUE aspect of this concept is the fact that it serves as both a Palace of His dwelling where He renders judgement to the people and nations and where He is also worshipped. [Zechariah 14:16] The office of Priest and King are united as one in Him, so from the same throne the Lord renders judgement and teaches the way of righteousness. This is what Zechariah meant when he said, “He shall be a PRIEST on His THRONE, and the counsel of PEACE shall be between them both.” Making Jerusalem and Judah the capital city of the world, The LAND is the TEMPLE!
Micah also describes the Lord’s ministry as, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s HOUSE shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the MOUNTAIN of the Lord, to the HOUSE of the God of Jacob; He will TEACH us His ways, and we shall WALK in His PATHS.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall JUDGE between many peoples, and shall decide DISPUTES for strong nations far away;” Micah 4:1-3 Here Micah presents the way of righteousness in the same category as settling disputes for nations, governance with the priesthood. [Isaiah 11:4-5, Zechariah 8:22] Here we like to assert the fact that king Solomon built a similar hall for his Egyptian wife, the implication being the bride of Christ, spirit-mankind will share in His burden to administer to the nations as both priests and judges. What the Lord essentially is, we are also. “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 And since the Lord’s ministry is according to the order of Melchizedek who ruled over Salem as king and priest, we also serve Him in the same capacity, which Peter calls a royal priesthood. [1 Peter 2:9]
Zechariah describes Jerusalem and Judah in those days as, “In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the BELLS of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, EVERY POT in Jerusalem and Judah shall be HOLINESS to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 14:20-21 He is saying the WHOLE of Jerusalem and Judah will be HOLY. Now, the term “Holiness to the Lord,” was engraved on a plate of pure gold and was put on the high priest’s turban, so that the gifts the children of Israel present before God in the Temple may be accepted. [Exodus 28:36-38] By the same measure, the New High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ has made the WHOLE LAND of Judah and Jerusalem to be Holiness to the Lord. So the act of worship described as using the pots to cook in, is acceptable from ANY part of the land of Judah, where Jerusalem herself is a Jewel. The point is the whole land is Holy, it is a Temple. [Joel 3:17] So to describe the structure the Lord will build in Jerusalem and Judah to a single building [a Temple] is to LIMIT the scope of His work. Jerusalem simply represents the Holy of Holies, of a world redeemed from corruption, the EDEN of the coming Age. So in the Law the building was sanctified, in Grace the people are sanctified, in the coming Age the Land is sanctified and the Living Waters once again will flow. [Zech. 14:6]
When Zechariah says, “no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts,” the reference is to the household of the High Priesthood, which is specifically reserved for spirit-mankind, the bride of Christ. A Canaanite is an expression for “anything defiling, and those practising abomination and a lie,” which Rev. 21:27 clearly separated those who come into the New Jerusalem from those who are not allowed.
The reference to the Temple of the Lord is in respect to the Kingdom of God being established in all the earth. Daniel says, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a KINGDOM which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:44 In Chapter 15 we have seen how the Temple in heaven was a representation of entering into heaven itself. What is the kingdom of God? It is the knowledge of God and His will being done in ALL the earth, “For the EARTH shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” to bring about righteousness and peace to ALL, that is what Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, means, “king of righteousness;” and then also, “king of Salem,” which is, “king of peace.” [Hebrews 7:1-3, Col. 1:9-10]
Zechariah also pointed out that during the reign of the Lord, the inhabitants of the world are expected to keep one feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is LEFT of all the NATIONS which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16 Now for context, the children of Israel were expected to keep three feasts. “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.” Deut. 16:16-17 [Lev. 23, Num. 29] A feast where people built temporary shelters to dwell in Jerusalem.
So we can see the inhabitants of the world take no part in the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is the celebration of Passover. This feast represents the overcoming of death, however since the inhabitants of the world will still be subject to death they do not celebrate it. The second is the Feast of Weeks which is the celebration of Pentecost. This feast represents the day when the Spirit of God was given through whom we are now made into a New Creation, a spirit-mankind. [2 Cor. 5:17] However, since the inhabitants of the world will remain flesh-mankind they also do not get to celebrate this day. The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of the days Israel spent in the wilderness, in the presence of God. It is the place where the Lord kept them lacking nothing and where He instructed them in His ways. It is during this period the Lord removed from among them, the faithless, unruly and rebellious but the faithful and refined He brought into the Promised Land. [Ezekiel 20:35-38] In respect to the Age to come, “the Age of the Lord,” this is speaking to those who are to be brought into the New Heaven and New Earth.
We want to stress the UNIQUE aspect of this feast was the instruction that was given to Israel to remind them of His ways. Moses said, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may LEARN to FEAR the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law.” Deut. 31:10-12 [Neh. 8:14-18] Isaiah says of the coming Age, “Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will TEACH us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:3 [Micah 4:1-5] So in the coming Age of the Lord the inhabitants of the world are expected to keep this feast so that they may learn of His ways. It is in this respect king Solomon’s kingdom is a foreshadow “And men of ALL nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” 1 Kings 4:34 [Zech. 8:20-23]
So King Solomon building the Temple of God and the Palace of his dwelling is a representation of the entire reign of Christ. During which king Solomon interacted with the king of Tyre with whom he made peace and to prosper him through trade. [1 Kings 5:10-12] The king of Tyre represents the nations of the world, in an age of prosperity. We have attributed the “Age of Solomon” in respect to the elect and have attributed the “Age of Tyre” in respect to the rest of the world. Isaiah 60 gives a detailed description of the great prosperity of Jerusalem during the Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ which is comparable to that of king Solomon described in 1 Kings 10. Zechariah says, “Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord.” Zechariah 14:6 [Isaiah 61:4-6] In the story of king Solomon at the end of building the Temple of the Lord and his palace, there is a hint of animosity between the two kings. The king of Tyre Hiram being unhappy with what king Solomon gave him as a possession. [1 Kings 9:10-14] which represents the End of the 1000 years reign of the Lord along with the End of the Age of Tyre.
The end of king Solomon’s reign was marked by rebellion. A man named Hadad, an Edomite who escaped death by fleeing to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt when David and Joab put the land of Edom to the sword, rose up against Solomon. And also a man named Rezon the son Eliadh, who also escaped when David defeated Hadaezer king of Zoban, he also became an adversary “Satan,” to Solomon and he is described as “he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.” [1 Kings 11:14-25, 2 Samuel 8:3-14] Now God did raise up a rebellion against Solomon from Ephraim but this has no application here since in the Age of the Lord, God had said the two shall never be parted again. [Ezekiel 37:19-22, Isaiah 11:12-14] Now we have previously established that Edom represents a man of blood that is flesh-mankind, so we have Hadad, an Edomite rising from the house of Pharaoh. Pharaoh is a type of a devil as it was on the day Israel came out of Egypt. This being said the writer of 1 Kings records Rezon as an “Adversary to Israel.” [B.j] has taught the word Adversary is “Satan.” In the last great battle of the Age of Babylon, when the Antichrist and the False prophet were cast into the lake of fire only Satan escaped being bound for a 1000 years. So the implication here is that at the End of the Age of the Lord, Satan “Rezon” will be released from his prison and flesh-mankind “Edom” with him will rise in rebellion against Israel “the Saints.” Which the next verse will address.
The End of Age of Tyre.
“And when the THOUSAND years shall have been completed, Satan will be RELEASED out of his PRISON, and will go out to DECEIVE the NATIONS in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together unto the WAR, of whom is the number of them like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the breadth of the earth and encircled the camp of the SAINTS and the CITY having been BELOVED. But FIRE came down out of HEAVEN and devoured them. And the devil, the one deceiving them, was CAST into the LAKE of FIRE and of SULPHUR, where the Beast and the false prophet also are; and they will be tormented day and night to the ages of the ages.” [vs. 7-10]
The main point we want to STERNLY establish in the interpretation of these verses is that the events described here are those that are prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. Ezekiel had encompassed the thousand years reign of the Lord described in chapter 37 saying, “David My servant shall be king over them … My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:24-28 It is this event which Ezekiel now follows with the great battle of Gog and Magog.
So the first point we want to address is the commonly accepted point of view that Ezekiel 38 is describing our current Age. We have in previous chapters touched very briefly on this point, that the current Age will end in the destruction of the kingdoms of IRON and CLAY of which Gog and Magog are not a part of nor the people that follow them, “Cush.” The main reason people attribute Ezekiel 38 to our Age is because of the verse, “After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those BROUGHT back from the SWORD and gathered from MANY people on the mountains of Israel, which had LONG been DESOLATE; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.” Ezekiel 38:8 Because it says, “those brought back from the sword,” and “the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate” which we have interpreted to mean, the atrocities of world war 2 and the 20 centuries the land of Israel have been desolate of her people. Therefore we look at Russia and her relationships with the nations of the south to gauge the state of the world and we have MISSED it. We have disregarded the second part of the clause, “now all of them dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls.” So while one part of the clause is true that they are gathered from many people, Israel has not dwelt safely ever since. The nation of Israel was established in time of GREAT animosity, and had to struggle to maintain her existence to this very day. It is a nation that is surrounded by walls and her inhabitants live in a constant state of vigilance, where a bomb shelter is required by law. They neither have dwelt safely nor is no one making them afraid, as described by Jeremiah 23:5-7, Ezekiel 34:23-29; 38:8, Micah 4:4-5, Zephaniah 3:13, Joel 3:17, Zechariah 14:11, all of whom are describing the day when the Lord Himself comes down from heaven to rule from the midst of Jerusalem. [Zech. 2:4-5,12]
The only time in recorded history where Israel was described to be in such a state of blessing was during the reign of King Solomon, “For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” 1 Kings 4:20-25 which is a foreshadow of the kingdom of God on earth through the Lord Jesus Christ. We say all this to FIRMLY establish that Ezekiel 38 is prophesying a day that is a 1000 years away, which this chapter of Revelation addresses. Jeremiah describes this as, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall REIGN and PROSPER, and execute judgement and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be SAVED, and Israel will dwell SAFELY; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jeremiah 23:5-7
Now the interpretation that BEST satisfy our understanding of Ezekiel 38:8, is that “those brought back from the SWORD” is a reference to the judgement of WRATH and “the mountains of Israel, which had long been DESOLATION” is a reference to the time Israel has been in a broken covenant with God from the days the Temple of God was burned by the Romans. Hosea describes these days of desolation as, “For the children of Israel shall abide MANY DAYS without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their King. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:4-5 David their King is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah describes the Lord’s rule on earth in these two terms “Saved” & “Dwell Safely,” which is what Ezekiel 37 essentially describes. “Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Ezekiel 37:11 To be “CUT OFF” is to be given into the judgement of wrath, it is from this state that God is bringing them back. Desolation does not necessarily mean being absent from the Land of Israel only as it did during the days of Babylon of the Chaldeans but being ESTRANGED from the New Covenant of Grace that came through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul describes this day as, “A HARDENING in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles may come in. And so all Israel will be SAVED, as it has been written: “The One Delivering will come out of Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is the covenant from Me to them, when I shall TAKE AWAY their SINS.” Romans 11:25-27
Daniel who wrote of the desolation that was to come upon Israel also described when the days of Israel’s desolation were to come to an end, “And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and TILL the END of the WAR DESOLATIONS are determined…Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:26,27 Now the question is which WAR is meant to end Israel’s desolation? John says, “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and he went to make to WAR with the rest of her children keeping the commandments of God and holding the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 12:17 It is the WAR of spiritual KINGDOMS Daniel is referring to, which Revelation 19 saw the END of and NOT the wars mankind is engaged in with one another. The NEXT event that follows in Revelation 20 is Israel being raised up from the GRAVE and being brought back to their own land that they may dwell safely. “SAVED” & “SAFE” Jeremiah 23:5-7 [Ezekiel 37:21-28, Isaiah 11:11-13, Rev. 20:4-6]
Hosea describes the restoration of Israel from the days of her estrangement “desolation” as, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of ACHOR as a door of HOPE.” Hosea 2:14-15 The Valley of Achor is the Valley of Trouble. [Joshua 7:26] The inference is Israel will be delivered through TROUBLE in the days of Wrath, through the fire of Antichrist and false prophet, described in Rev. 11 and Rev. 15. Hosea follows this with the description of the days when the Lord will reign on earth making peace with creation itself and peace among mankind from this day forward. “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, and they shall be remembered by their name no more. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down SAFELY. “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:16-20 [Isaiah 2:4; 11:5-9]
Now, there are two places in the Bible where the devil is explicitly described, the first is the one mentioned above as the king of Babylon in the writing of Isaiah 14. The second is as the king of Tyre in the writings of Ezekiel 28. In the writings of Isaiah when the devil rose up at the end of the Age of Babylon he was defeated, bound and thrown into the Pit of desolation. [Isaiah 13-14] Here John describes him being released from the bondage of his prison at the End of the Age of Tyre to deceive the nations and to come to his own utter destruction never to be found again as Tyre herself was swallowed up by the sea. [Ezekiel 27-28]
The Age of Tyre is a term that is coined to describe the writing of Ezekiel 27. It is an Age of Peace and prosperity which the whole world “flesh-mankind” will enjoy during the millennium reign of the Lord Jesus Christ for which the days of king Solomon was a foreshadow. Ezekiel describes how the nations of the world traded with one another in peace and prospered; and he carefully lists every root of the family of the earth as having dealt with the kingdom of Tyre. Which are most of the families listed in Genesis 10, that came after the flood before the nations were dispersed to cover the whole earth. It is a portrayal of a time of prosperity through trade, unlike the Age of Babylon when nations raised swords against each other to plunder. So the Age of Solomon which represents the Age of the Lord is linked with the Age of Tyre. We need to make it clear the LORD will be KING over ALL the Earth. [Zechariah 14:9] Only that He will make His dwelling in Israel, Jerusalem from where He rules over the whole world. [Ezekiel 37:26-27]
Now, the kingdom of Solomon was described as, “Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armour, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.” 1 Kings 10:24-25 During the Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ the nations are also expected to keep the Feast of Tabernacles year by year, during which none are to appear before Him empty handed, through which the Land of Israel has greatly propspeed. [Deut 16:16] Isaiah describes, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And ALL nations shall flow to it.” Isaiah 2:2-3 The effect of which is that, “Therefore your gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the WEALTH of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession. For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Isaiah 60:11-12 [Isaiah 61:6-7] The whole chapter of Isaiah 60 is dedicated to describe how Jerusalem will be a jewel on earth because the Lord will make His dwelling in the midst of her. The terms Isaiah uses here mirror that of the heavenly Jerusalem when God Himself comes down to make His dwelling among mankind in the new Heaven and Earth. [Rev. 21:24-26]
In the explanation of the previous verse we ended on how the relationship between king Solomon and the king of Tyre were strained in regards to compensation given to the king of Tyre for service rendered and also the rise of a man named Rezon, an “Adversary/Satan” who ABHORRED Israel. [Rev. 12:17] That is at the end of this Great AGE of Peace and Prosperity Satan will be released from the bottomless pit, and he will once again go out to exploit the nature of flesh-mankind. The great SIN with which the devil repeatedly ruled over flesh-mankind is the Sin of COVETOUSNESS, and it is the same one he will use at the end of days to make them fall. Ezekiel captures this moment in the simplest of terms, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that THOUGHTS will arise in your MIND, and you will make an EVIL PLAN: You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of UNWALLED villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell SAFELY, all of them dwelling WITHOUT walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take PLUNDER and to take BOOTY, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a PEOPLE gathered from the NATIONS, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” Ezekiel 38:10-12 The Age of Babylon which represented the reign of the devil was known by war, and by plunder, so we see here the same “evil plan” will once again creep into the hearts of mankind when Satan is released.
Now before we go any further, we need to keep in mind that the world to come will be UTTERLY different from the one we now know. Even during the seven years of wrath of God at the end of the Age of Grace the world will be a VASTLY different place than the present one because of the Rapture as well as the destruction of the third of the world’s population. [Rev. 6:8, Rev: 9:15] During the present Age of Babylon wealth, progress and power and so on seems to be distributed WEST to EAST but the end of the Babylonian age has brought an end to this. The Ten kings with Antichrist from the West partnering with the false prophet of the surrounding nations of the East have all been subdued. [Rev. 17:14, Rev: 19:19-21] Now, the Lord is describing to us a whole NEW era, where the dominant Northern Gog of the land of Magog which is akin to the Antichrist of the West partnering with those from the South to come against Israel once again. Note: the centre point is ALWAYS Israel.
Another important NOTE of the Age to Come is both Atheism and Islam are NO LONGER a factor, they will be destroyed with the Antichrist and the false prophet at the end of the Age of Babylon described in the previous chapter. Zechariah says, “And it shall come to pass that EVERYONE who is LEFT of all the NATIONS which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to WORSHIP the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16 These are the surrounding nations who are currently known as Islamic. [Joel 3:12-13] And the devout among them that took the mark of the beast upon themselves are ALL killed by the breath of the Lord when He returns. [Rev. 19:21, Rev. 14:9-11] So the remainder will be instructed year after year in the knowledge of God in the Feast of Tabernacles for a thousand years.
So who is Gog, chief [rosh] prince of Meshech and Tubal? In the days of Noah, the families of the world were described as, “The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. The sons of Ham: Cush [Ethiopia], Mizraim [Egypt] , Put [Libya] and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.” Genesis 10:2-7 [Subjective] Some translations say, Gog prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. However, because no tribe of Rosh is listed among the generations of Noah and since there is no sufficient evidence to support Tiras to mean Rosh we have taken the translations that use “rosh” which means “chief or head” to apply here. More so Chief prince has implication because Gog seems to preside over several tribes, Meshek and Tubal.
Gog is described as a chief “rosh” prince, the same kind of description given to the angel Michael who is the chief [first] prince over Israel. [Daniel 10:13,20, Ezekiel 37:25] So Gog is an angel of the tribes of the land of Magog. In the previous Age only the nation Israel had an angel appointed to her by God, Michael. While the rest Egypt, Assriya, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome all had angels who were subservient to the devil. Paul described this system of rule as, “the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 That is to say the devil’s kingdom was structured to have his angels to rule over every nation and tribes. It is these ruling powers that will be subdued and cast down with the devil at the end of the present Age. [Isaiah 24:21-22] So [Subjective] implication is that at the end of the coming Age Satan will be released with his angels. Now while the seven heads of the devil were described as having fallen. [Rev. 17:9-11] Gog the Chief prince of the land of Magog was not one of them, to whom the tribes of Mesch and Tubal belong and with them the tribes of their brother Togmarah of the far north will rise up in the last days with those from the South to come against Israel. These are the nations of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, nations bordering the Black and Caspian Sea, with them also modern day Iran [Persia], Turkey [Gomer], Cush [Ethiopia], Put [Libya]. Describing the four corners of the earth from Israel’s perspective with a strong North to South relationship. [Isaiah 11:11-12]
So the relationship that binds the people of the land of Magog with that of Persia, Cush and Put is NOT religion but the basic deceit of their heart. So when Gog comes with the horde of his army, “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?” Ezekiel 38:13 Here we have the tribes most associated with Arabia “Sheba and Dedan” keeping clear from Gog’s horde and exposing the nature of Gog’s desire, to be covetousness. Note: in the AGE of the Lord the Earth is NOT cursed and will always yield her BEST so their rebellion is NOT born of need or lack. [Hosea 2:21-22, Romans 8:20-21] The idea being to expose their heart, be it in NEED in the Age of Babylon or be it in BLESSING in the Age of Tyre mankind’s heart is EASILY deceived. It answers the question: what if Eve did not eat the fruit? One of us would certainly have.
Now Paul tells us that covetousness is idolatry. [Col 3:5, Eph. 5:5] That is the desire for something causing us to act in a wicked manner in order to satisfy our lust. Which James describes as, “You DESIRE and do not have. You KILL and COVET and are not able to obtain. You FIGHT and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2 So Paul says, “Let your manner of life be without covetousness, being satisfied with the present; for He Himself has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 So the process which Ezekiel describes to us from the point of view of COVETOUSNESS Isaiah describes it to us from the point of view of IDOLATRY. “They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his IDOLS of SILVER and his IDOLS of GOLD, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily.” Isaiah 2:19-21 [Rev. 6:15-17] That is their manner of conduct to obtain gold and silver by war and plunder exposed what they truly worshipped in their hearts, so as to rise up to bring HARM on His holy mountain against the Lord’s EXPLICIT word that has stood for a 1000 years. [Isaiah 2:4; 11:9]
The CAMP of the SAINTS and the BELOVED CITY: is a description of Jerusalem. “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people ISRAEL dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the FAR NORTH, you and many PEOPLES with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land.” Ezekiel 38:14-16 This is exactly what John is referring to in these verses, the term saints is repeatedly used in the book of Revelation to refer to the people of Israel and Jerusalem is the beloved city. Zechariah describes Jerusalem during this period as, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’” Zechariah 8:3 And the Lord calls her, “ the city of the Great King.” Matthew 5:35
Fire from Heaven: the main point we want to highlight is that the ABSOLUTE assurance of God to the people of Israel that during this AGE no harm will EVER come against them. Zephaniah says, “The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your MIDST; You shall see disaster NO MORE.” Zephaniah 3:15 [Isaiah 11:9] So even though their enemies may rise up and encircle the land of Israel they will not be subject to their atrocities, no incursion, no plunder, no captivity. Isaiah says, “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall NOT HURT nor DESTROY in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord. Isaiah 65:24,25 So the mere presence of this army will cause God to act, bearing in mind the EARTH is now part of the Kingdom of God where His will is done. [Rev. 11:15]
So we want to point out here that God does NOT require His people to prepare for war, to raise shields or swords. Isaiah says, “Come, My people, ENTER your CHAMBERS, and shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the INDIGNATION is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to PUNISH the inhabitants of the earth for their INIQUITY; The earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20-21 It is the same TYPE as in the day destruction swept through the land of Egypt, [Exodus 12:21-23] which ushered a NEW AGE. All Israel is required to do is come out after the fact to take plunder. [Ezekiel 39:9-10]
Now Ezekiel describes to us the FINALITY of God’s ANGER towards the horde of Gog. God in the past has spoken judgement, He has raised His hands to humble the lofty hearts of mankind but God has not expressed His NAKED anger as He will do in these days. Not when Israel was taken captive by the Babylon of Chaldeans nor even when Jerusalem and Judha were made desolate by the Babylon of Rome did God describe His anger in the manner which He does now, when mankind rises against the righteous reign and rule of His Son. [Isaiah 66:15-16?]
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My FURY will SHOW in My face. For in My jealousy and in the FIRE of My WRATH I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a GREAT earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the FISH of the sea, the BIRDS of the heavens, the BEASTS of the field, all CREEPING things that creep on the earth, and ALL MEN who are on the face of the earth shall SHAKE at My PRESENCE. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ I will call for a SWORD against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgement with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, FIRE, and BRIMSTONE. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’ Ezekiel 38:18-23; 39:1-6 Without an army coming against them they killed each other and fire from God as John described it will consume them, bringing a swift end to the Age of Tyre. That is, the END of ALL of CREATION has now come.
Ezekiel uses similar terms to describe the end of the Age of Tyre like the ones John used to describe the end of the Age of Babylon. “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,…” Ezekiel 39:17-20 Which John described as, “And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in loud a voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, “Come, gather yourselves unto the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings…” Rev. 19:17-18 We have explained in the previous chapter that the angel in Revelation 19 calls out only to the birds of heaven because the Lord was coming in judgement from heaven. However, here we see Ezekiel whom the angel calls “son of man” being asked to call out to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. “Son of Man,” is a term by which the Lord repeatedly identifies Himself with. [Matthew 8:20, Acts 7:56 and many more.] The implication being the kingdom of heaven and earth being under one the Lord Jesus Christ. Joel says, “The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake.” Joel 3:16
We have an example of this in young king David, a foreshadow of the Lord Jesus Christ fighting against Goliath and he says, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” 1 Samuel 17:46-47
The END of the Devil: We have described when the Age of Babylon came to an end the Antichrist and False prophet were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone and how the devil was bound in prison resembling the judgement of desolation of Babylon. Now the Age of Tyre speaks of the UTTER destruction of the Devil. Ezekiel writes, “‘What city is like Tyre, DESTROYED in the MIDST of the SEA? ‘When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; You enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But you are BROKEN by the SEAS in the DEPTHS of the waters; Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you; Their kings will be greatly afraid, and their countenance will be troubled. The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you; You will become a HORROR, and be NO MORE FOREVER.’” Ezekiel 27:32-34 That is TYRE was swallowed up by the SEA NEVER to be found again and the devil’s end as the king of Tyre is also described in the similar manner. “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your TRADING; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, and I turned you to ASHES upon the EARTH in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a HORROR , and shall be NO MORE FOREVER.” Ezekiel 28:11-19
So John describes the end of Satan as being cast into the same burning flame of brimstone where the Antichrist and the false prophet are. Isaiah describes this moment at the end of the narration of the end times and of the Age to come that started in Isaiah 24 as, “In that day the Lord with His SEVERE sword, great and strong, will PUNISH Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will SLAY the reptile that is in the SEA.” Isaiah 27:1 [Isaiah 24:22] This is a description of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan being slain.
The End of THIS LAST AGE is described by Ezekiel as, “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 39:6 Not only the horde of Gog were destroyed but the very land that sent them will also be consumed. The end of which is that there will be NONE left that harboured any animosity towards Israel. When the prince and king of Tyre were destroyed Isaiah also described the destruction of Sidon saying, “And there shall NO LONGER be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.” Ezekiel 28:24-26
The End of Heaven and Earth.
“And I saw a great WHITE THRONE and the ONE sitting on it, from whose FACE the earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the DEAD, great and small, STANDING before the throne, and BOOKS were opened. And ANOTHER BOOK was opened, which is the ONE of LIFE. And the DEAD were judged out of the things having been written in the books, according to their deeds.” [vs. 11-12]
This event is the one John described as the end of the current Heaven and Earth in Revelation 6. “And I saw when He opened the SIXTH SEAL, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the EARTH, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs, being shaken by a great wind. And heaven departed like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the commanders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every SLAVE and FREE, hid themselves in the caves, and among the rocks of the mountains. And they say to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the FACE of the One sitting on the THRONE, and from the WRATH of the Lamb, because the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Rev 6:12-17 The people that are described here are the people who are ALIVE at the time of the end. John calls them the “DEAD” because these are flesh-mankind who are still subject to death. In the same way the Lord referred to the living as Dead saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you that an hour is coming, and now is, when the DEAD will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those having heard will live.” John 5:25 [Romans 8:10] Death is the final enemy to be destroyed and it will come right after this. [1 Cor. 15:26]
There is an observation worth mentioning here. This event follows after a 1000 years of peace and prosperity of the righteous rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in John’s description of people he makes mention of kings, great ones, commanders, rich and powerful and slaves and free. However, there is no mention of the poor because there are none. The next point he makes is “slave and free,” but the Lord had said, none will hurt or destroy another, not even the wild beasts. [Isaiah 11:6-9] This being said Isaiah makes it clear there still are wicked people, “But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; EVEN in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and DO NOT REGARD the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 26:10 The fact is there will still be a need to rebuke and judge people, the free will of mankind is not taken away. [Isaiah 2:4, Isaiah 11:4-5] The Lord described the job of His disciples as, “you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28 The Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you that everyone practising the sin is a slave of the sin.” John 8:34 So the [subjective] point is that those who act wickedly are the slaves to their acts. Now the “free” tremble along with the “slave” because they are ALL facing judgments. Note, these are still flesh-mankind who are still subject to DEATH, and any person in the flesh that has acted LESS than PERFECT has something to fear. The Lord said, “Indeed rather you should fear the One being able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Matthew 10:28 There will NEVER be a day when those who are outside of Christ will EVER have the boldness to stand before God, so they, like Adam, will hide themselves in rocks and caves. [Hebrews 4:15-16; 10:19-21]
Now in the present Age there is ONLY one Book worth mentioning that is the Lamb’s Book of Life, outside of which there is NO JUSTIFICATION for mankind. Paul says of those who perish in our AGE, “But if indeed our GOSPEL is concealed, it is concealed to those who are PERISHING, in whom the god of this AGE has blinded the minds of the UNBELIEVING, so as for not to beam forth the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Cor. 4:3-4 [&] “Those perishing, in return for which they did NOT receive the LOVE of the TRUTH in order for them to be SAVED.” 2 Thess. 2:10 And Paul describes their punishment as, “The revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with His mighty angels, in a fire of flame, inflicting vengeance on those NOT knowing God and on those NOT obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, who will suffer the penalty of ETERNAL DESTRUCTION away from the PRESENCE of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thess. 1:7-9 However, here John describes several books being opened of which one of them is the Book of Life but NOT the Lamb’s Book of Life. The last place the Lamb’s Book of Life is mentioned is in Revelation 13:8 and it is used in reference to those from among the Jews who are to be added to the body of Christ. Those who die holding steadfast to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are raised back to life when the Lord returns described in verse 4 of this chapter, completing the body of Christ, spirit-mankind. [Rev. 6:11]
So the first thing we want to establish here is that spirit-mankind is NOT subject to the judgement described here, since they are seated with the Lord being His bride. John says, “Blessed and holy is the one having a part in the first resurrection! Over these the SECOND DEATH has NO authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.” [vs. 6] Spirit-mankind, is a whole NEW creation, a CITIZEN of Heaven and no longer part of the nations, no longer subject to the definitions of the FLESH. [2 Cor. 5:16-17] When Paul says there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, this is ought to invoke in us an identity that SUPERSEDES any natural description, no black or white, no rich or poor, we are all NEW no longer part of the nations of flesh but citizens of heaven, and are spirits. [Gal. 3:28, Phil. 3:20-21, Matthew 22:30]
Now, Matthew 25 is a chapter that describes the Rewards and Judgement which the Lord will render beginning from the day of the Rapture and ending with the Great and Final day of Wrath of the Lamb. As we have explained before Matthew 25:1-13 describes the Rapture of the faithful contrasted against those who are left behind through false teachings. Matthew 25:14-30 describes the REWARD of the righteous when the Lord returns to take account of what we have done with the gift He has given to us. This event PRECEDES the 1000 years reign of the Lord, for which the REWARD itself is part of the expression through which the Lord will assign levels of responsibility to those who will rule and reign with Him. This is followed by a second event Matthew 25:31-46 which is the JUDGEMENT of flesh-mankind on the final day. “And when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will SIT upon His THRONE of GLORY. And all the NATIONS will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another. And indeed He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left.” Matthew 25:31-33 The point we want to make CLEAR is that this Judgement is referring to those nations who are to come during the 1000 years reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note: Apart from Christ there is no justification, no good work will ever merit anything apart from Him. [Matthew 7:21-22, Romans 3:20, Gal. 2:16] So it is futile for the Lord to ask the nations of the present Age if they indeed clothed the poor or not. So this passage is not speaking to our AGE. And those who are in Christ were already judged in rewards in the previous parable of the faithful servants a 1000 years earlier. The point is those who are in Christ are not among those that stand before Him to face judgement, be it right or left. “Truly, truly, I say to you that the one hearing My word and believing the One having sent Me, he has ETERNAL LIFE and does NOT come into JUDGEMENT, but has passed out of DEATH into LIFE.” John 5:24
Here we want to establish there are two TYPES of inheritances. The Lord said, “Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the HEAVENS… Blessed are the MEEK, for they will inherit the EARTH. Blessed are those having been persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” Matthew 5:3,5,10 [And] “Not everyone saying to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the HEAVENS, but the one doing the will of My Father in the heavens.” Matthew 7:21 So those who are in CHRIST inherit both Heaven and Earth, Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One having blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the HEAVENLY realms… The administration of the fullness of the times, to bring together all things in Christ—the things in the HEAVENS and the things upon the EARTH— in Him, in WHOM also we have obtained an INHERITANCE, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His will.” Ephesians 1:3,10-11 The fact of which is that, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs: heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:17 Basically, Paul is saying we have what He has, and since the Lord has inherited both Heaven and Earth, all those who are IN CHRIST will do so with Him.
Then who are those who will inherit the earth? “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, those being blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom having been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 In the New heaven and earth, the Heavenly Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God to dwell upon the earth and John says, “And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.” Revelation 21:24 The kings of the earth CANNOT rightly apply to those who are in Christ being citizens of heaven, who have inherited both heaven and earth in Him. So the point is that the nations of the Age to come will inherit the New Earth, this is their Promised Land, where they will not fear death NO MORE. [Rev. 21:4] However, those who are in Christ will dwell before God to serve Him forever, in the New Jerusalem, are themselves spirits. [Revelation 3:12, 22:3-5] The main point we want to stress here is, what need did God have to create a New Earth if ALL were to be spirits? The earth is specifically created for Natural Beings.
Zephaniah describes how the Lord removes the wicked from just, “In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a MEEK and HUMBLE people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:11-12 In the previous verse in the battle of Gog, we have seen how the haughty and covetous from among flesh-mankind were entirely destroyed that NONE were left among flesh-mankind that exhibits ANY kind of animosity against Israel, which represents the rightful rule of the Lord’s kingdom on earth. That is the nations that are left on earth will be the meek and the humble those who have given themselves to trust in the Lord. Isaiah says, “For as the NEW heavens and the NEW earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, ALL FLESH shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord. “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:22-24
So we need to build a narrative of what the 1000 years of the Lord’s kingdom on earth means in order for us to understand by what MERIT the people of the Age to come are to be judged. The best way to do this is to compare the state of things of the present Age with that of the coming one. Where there is NO Satan, there are NO evil forces to entice, to mislead, to oppress so mankind will be held SOLELY responsible for their own action. [Revelation 20:2] In fact we dare say, they will have to work hard to act wickedly, since righteousness will reign on EARTH through the Lord Jesus Christ. That is there is a fundamental difference in atmosphere between us and them. We live in a FALLEN world, which Paul described as, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and sins— in which once you walked according to the AGE of this world, according to the RULER of the authority of the AIR, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts;” Ephesians 2:1-3 An Age where Satan rules over the flesh of mankind in Sin. [Hebrew 2:14] So the PARAMOUNT feature of our Age is having to escape the domain of Sin through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we may live soberly and righteously in the present age. [Acts 26:18, Eph. 2:4-10, Col. 1:12-14, Titus 2:11-14] Apart from which NONE of our good works account for anything. This is best illustrated in the statement the Spirit of God makes saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead dying in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they will rest from their labours; for their works follow with them.” Revelation 14:13
So when the Lord casts away the wicked of our Age He says, “I never KNEW you; depart you from Me, those working LAWLESSNESS.” Matthew 7:23, Matthew 25:12 Despite their own good works with which they protest saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?” [vs.22] Nevertheless, because they lacked the one thing necessary, in order for them to be delivered from the domain of sin and darkness through the knowledge of Him, as to have His Spirit dwelling in them, they are cast away. [Acts 26:18, Romans 8:9-14, Gal. 5:16-18 Titus 3:4-7, 1 Peter 1:2]
However, the opposite is true of the Age to Come. Paul describes the Second coming of the Lord as, “Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for a second time, apart from SIN, to those awaiting Him for salvation.” Hebrews 9:28 And he describes the Earth of that Age to come as, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the CREATION itself will also be SET FREE from the bondage of DECAY, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 This is the world in which the nations that are left are going to live in for a thousand years, being under the RIGHTEOUS rule of the Lord Jesus Christ where the Lion will eat straw like the Ox and none will rise to harm or hurt another. [Isaiah 2:4; 11:5-9; 65:20-25]
Therefore, in a land of righteousness acts of love are RIGHTLY expected by the Lord. So it is not enough just NOT to harm or Hurt one another but to love their neighbour through ACTS of righteousness. The Lord does not say to them, depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness, you lied and cheated and killed but rather, “Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels. For I hungered, and you gave to Me nothing to eat; and I thirsted, and You gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and You did not take Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” Matthew 25:41-43 That is, those being surrounded in an atmosphere of righteousness ought to know to do right. “Therefore to the one knowing to do good, and not doing, it is sin.” James 4:17 This difference is best illustrated in the words of Isaiah in terms of the covenant of the Law that governed the flesh. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:6-8 In their case, their works of righteousness will go before them, by which they QUALIFY to enter into LIFE in order to inherit the Earth to Come or are cast away into the everlasting fire.
Note: the Lord refers to those on His right as the righteous but He does not call those on His left “the wicked or sinners,” He only refers to them as, “these.” It is not for acts of sin in wickedness but their failure in acts of righteousness for which they are judged. [Acts 17:30-31]
The BOOK of LIFE: The main point we want to establish here is that the Book of Life mentioned in this verse is particular to the Age to come, and has NOTHING to do with the dead of our Age. We prove this by examining by what MERIT we and the AGEs that preceded us are judged. The Lord referring to the dead that preceded the CROSS said, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which ALL those in the TOMBS will hear His VOICE, and will come forth—those having done good to the resurrection of LIFE, and those having done evil to the resurrection of JUDGEMENT.” John 5:28-29 And Peter explains the process saying, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death indeed in the flesh, but having been made alive in the spirit, in which also having gone, He PREACHED to the spirits in PRISON at one time having disobeyed, when the longsuffering of God was waiting in the days of Noah, of the ark being prepared, in which a few—that is, eight souls—were saved through water.” 1 Peter 3:18-20 [And] “Who will give account to Him who is ready to judge the LIVING and the DEAD. For to this end the GOSPEL was proclaimed even to the DEAD, so that they might be judged indeed according to men in the FLESH, but they might LIVE in the spirit according to God.” 1 Peter 4:5-6 The result of which is described in Daniel 12:2 and Matthew 27:52-53 which we have explained above.
The implication is that ALL those who respond to the GOSPEL of the Lord Jesus Christ be it DEAD or ALIVE are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life and are spirits as He is. EVEN as far back as Noah ALL of whom were MERITED by their response to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He Himself preached in the depth of Sheol. And Paul combines our state with those that have gone in AGES past and says, “And these all, having been commended through the faith, did not receive the promise, God having planned something better for us, so that NOT APART from us, they should be made PERFECT.” Hebrews 11:39-40 That is we both share in the same blessing of PERFECTION that came through the Lord Jesus Christ. The effect of which is that we ALL belong “to the assembly, to the church of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been perfected, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, speaking better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:23-24 Therefore OUTSIDE of our enrollment in the Lamb’s Book of Life there is NO LIFE for the people of our AGE and the previous Ages. The Lord said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, if not by Me.”John 14:6
Therefore the Book of Life is SPECIFIC to the dead of the coming Age ONLY, where they are Judged for their ACTS of righteousness. So there is significance to why the living mentioned in these verses are judged separate from ALL the dead of the past mentioned in the coming verses, by which ONLY the Book of Life is established as a guideline for LIFE. Because NONE of those of our Age and the Ages before us that have rejected Christ can be included in it, there is no reprieve.
“And the SEA gave up the DEAD who were in it; and DEATH and HADES gave up the dead who were in them; and EACH of them were JUDGED according to their works. And DEATH and HADES were cast into the LAKE of FIRE. This is the SECOND DEATH, the lake of fire. And if anyone was NOT FOUND having been written in the BOOK of LIFE, he was cast into the lake of fire.” [vs. 13-14]
Here we have the Second aspect of the judgement of the final day. Verses 11-12 specifically dealt with those who are alive at the time of the final day, now those who are in their GRAVES are raised up to face judgement, which is a reference to the Second Resurrection. The Lord said, “Those having done good to the resurrection of life, [First Resurrection] and those having done evil to the resurrection of judgement. [Second Resurrection].” John 5:29 And even the angels which Peter addressed saying, “God did not spare the angels having sinned, but having cast them down to Tartarus, in chains of gloomy darkness, delivered them, being kept for judgement.” 2 Peter 2:4 is speaking of the this day of judgement.
Here John describes the SEA giving up the dead. Now in the light of Peter’s statement as well as Paul’s who said, “Or do you not know that SAINTS will JUDGE the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you unworthy of the smallest of cases? Do you not know that we will JUDGE ANGELS?” 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 What we believe the SEA represents is a place where the angels were held. In the prophecies of Daniel and John the beasts [angelic hosts] that ruled the earth were all stirred out of the SEA. [Daniel 7:2-3, Rev. 13:1] And we have repeatedly used Isaiah who said, “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of EXALTED ones, and on the earth the KINGS of the EARTH. They will be gathered together, as PRISONERS are gathered in the PIT, and will be shut up in the prison; After MANY DAYS they will be PUNISHED.” Isaiah 24:21-22 As well as “He will SLAY the reptile that is in the SEA.” Isaiah 27:1 Isaiah is saying both angels and mankind will be held in prison for many days, until the day comes for them to face punishment which is the day of Judgement which these verses are addressing. He also describes the destruction of Satan as the slaying of the serpent of the Sea. So this is the Final and Great Day where both Fallen Heavenly creatures as well as condemned mankind will receive final judgement.
Now, [D.p] used to teach that Death takes the body and Hades the soul. Here we have an opportunity to address the common misconception that all who are dead are raised in a spiritual body, that everybody is actually spirits. But this is NOT TRUE, mankind is created to be Natural beings while angels who are heavenly were created to be spirits. So when John says, here Death gave up the dead that were in him, he is saying Death literally gave up the bodies of flesh-mankind. Death is corruption, David in psalms prophetically spoke of the Lord saying, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:9-10 So when John is referring to Hades he is referring to the SOULS of mankind. The main point being these DEAD will be raised up in Flesh and Bone bodies. Paul says, “For since death came by a man, so also by a Man has come the resurrection of the dead. For as indeed in Adam all die, so also in Christ ALL will be made ALIVE.” 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 What Paul is saying is that in Christ, ALL flesh-mankind can be raised up free from the dictates of Death and Hades that came through Adam. We have to understand that SPIRITUAL body in the likeness of the Lord is ONLY given to those who are His. It is a body of GLORIFICATION not a body of punishment. “We are awaiting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, conformed to the body of His glory.” Phil. 3:20-21 [2 Corinthians 5:1]
Second Death: is the Lake of Fire. The Lord refers to it as, “The eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41 The Second Death is a place of utter separation from God, which Paul describes as, “Who will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction AWAY from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9 This is a place where ALL are PUNISHED be it angels or flesh-mankind, where none gets to torture another. It is a FALLACY of man made imagination that HELL is the domain of the devil where he rules and reigns. No, it is a place of punishment for ALL as we see even Death and Hades that had such dominion over mankind from the DAY Cain killed his brother Abel to the final day described here are themselves thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented for eternity.
A point worth considering: David in the Psalm said, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in [Sheol], behold, You are there.” Psalm 139:8 As we have described before “Sheol” is NOT Hell, Gehenna is. Paul describes hell as, “Inflicting vengeance on those not knowing God and on those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, who will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction AWAY from the PRESENCE of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thess. 1:8-9 Hell is the only place that is described as being void of the Spirit of God. So the point is the nature and substance of God is not found in hell, therefore when fallen angels, these evil spirits are cast into hell they are cast down in the form of flesh and bone body and not as spirits. We have the example of Abaddon the angel of the Abyss who took the form of man and was captured with the false prophet and thrown into the lake of fire “Alive,” body and soul. [Rev. 19:20, Matthew 10:28]
[D.p] used to teach comparing the Lord Jesus Christ to Satan, and how Satan reached up in pride to get hold of something that is not his, while the Lord humbled Himself to bow down in obedience even die on the cross. The result of which is that God has highly exalted the Lord FAR above ALL that is named while at the same time Satan, who once was adorned with precious stones and who once occupied one of the highest places given to any creation of God to be a covering cherub of the Throne of God was brought down to the depth of hell. [Ezekiel 28:12-19, Phil 2:5-11] So while mankind who are born weak and naked, are lifted up in Christ to put on a spiritual body of glory and to live and reign in the presence of God. At the same time the devil and his angels who were created to be MIGHTY and adorned in beauty to stand in the presence of God are stripped of their glory of a spiritual body to put on a body of weakness “flesh and bone” and are cast into hell away from God’s presence.
Isaiah writing of Satan said, “Hell [SHEOL] from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as WEAK as we? Have you become LIKE US? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you… Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the MAN who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’” Isaiah 14:16-17 Granted Isaiah is speaking of Sheol and not Gehenna, nonetheless Satan is described in a place of punishment to be as weak, as powerless and indistinguishable from any other mankind.
The Lord described Hell quoting Isaiah, “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all FLESH.” Isaiah 66:24 Beings that are described as spirits and flames of fire do not seem to be affected by such terms, but Isaiah points it is flesh that will be affected by it. The reasoning then being that if Hell is indeed a place prepared of the devil and his angels then it stands to reason they must be made flesh to be tormented by it.
Anyone NOT found in the Book of Life: As we have explained in the previous verse, this is speaking SPECIFICALLY of those who died during the 1000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is even though the world will be at peace and great prosperity where none will lack anything, death will still reign. [1 Cor. 15:26] Isaiah says, “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” Isaiah 65:20 So these are judged according to their acts of righteousness and those who attain to life will be found written in this Book of Life. However it is evident even in this Age there are those who fail in the land of uprightness as Isaiah says, “the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” Among whom are the hordes of Gog who will be condemned for their acts of covetousness. [Isaiah 26:10] So as far as condemned flesh-mankind is concerned the Lord said, “Indeed rather you should fear the One being able to destroy both SOUL and BODY in Gehenna.” Matthew 10:28 Not spirits, which essentially is God’s breath that returns back to Him as king Solomon said, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
Finally, in order for us to be grounded in the fact that Ezekiel 37-39 is indeed a prophetical description of END TIME events described in Revelation 20 we have drawn an association between the months Israel spent burying the multitude of Gog to the final day of judgement where the dead are cast into the lake of fire. “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travellers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.” Ezekiel 39:11-12 Ezekiel describes a process by which a detailed search is made for bodies throughout the land in order that they may be buried in the Valley of Hamon Gog. Paul said, the saints are to judge the world and angels. [1 Cor. 6:2-3] The burial is an expression of a process of removing everything that causes offence from among the living.
Ezekiel uses the judgement God poured out on the horde of Gog to be grounds by which the rest of flesh mankind comes to acknowledgement of God. “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall SEE My judgement which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.” Ezk. 39:2-22 Isaiah also uses similar terms, and says, “And they shall go forth and look upon the CORPSE of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an ABHORRENCE to ALL FLESH.” Isaiah 66:24 [Rev. 14:10] That is the judgement of eternal destruction serves as a reminder to flesh-mankind.
Now the above parallel might seem to be self-serving, however the NEXT event which Ezekiel describes in chapter 40 is him seeing a CITY from a very high mountain in Israel. “In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a CITY. He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.” Ezekiel 40:2-3 It is EXACTLY the same event which John also describes, in Revelation 21, after the defeat of Gog and casting away of the wicked. “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy CITY Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…. “And the one speaking with me had a golden measuring reed, so that he could measure the city, and its gates, and its wall.” Revelation 21:10,15 The parallel between Ezekiel 37-40 and Revelation 19-21 ought to give us a CLEAR understanding of the end times.
The important note is that we have to have the correct perspective of the events described in Ezekiel. Our misunderstanding of the writings of Daniel was a cause by which we misunderstood the book of Revelation. And as long as we misunderstand Ezekiel we also will keep on misunderstanding the days in which we live. The writing of Ezekiel 38-39 is not to be chopped and fitted as we like, it is describing ONE single EVENT in a moment of time, therefore if one clause fails ALL fails.
Revelation 21: The New Heaven, Earth and Jerusalem.
In our study of the Book of Revelation we have used the Book of Daniel to substantiate our understanding of the End of the Age of the Law, which served as a framework by which we were able to make sense of the End of the Age of Grace which is to come. Likewise, the Book of Ezekiel is a means by which we are able to make sense of the FAR future. In the previous chapter we have made references to Ezekiel 37-39 to substantiate our understanding of the Age of the Lord, which comes to conclusion in the destruction of Gog of the land of Magog which in essence represented the END of the present Heaven and Earth. We are also now able to better understand Revelation 21-22, through Ezekiel 40-48.
Now we have no means by which we can conceive what the administration of New Heaven and Earth is going to be like. So the description Ezekiel gives in these chapters are means by which we are able to foreshadow what is to come in a manner we can understand according to the terms of our own Age. So even though we know righteousness will dwell in the New Heaven and Earth, Ezekiel describes the service of the Temple using terms that have to do with the Law, such as sacrifices and so on. [J.p] repeatedly taught how the Levitical priesthood service foreshadowed the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, which none of those of that AGE could possibly make sense of at that time. This being said, the description Ezekiel gives of the Temple is a symbol for the New Jerusalem, the Prince is the Lord, the allocation of service of the priests is the representation of the service spirit-mankind will render to God, the distribution of inheritance among the tribes of Israel is a representation of the righteous, the meek and the humble of the nations that will come through the LAST Age to receive the New Earth as their portion. Finally, Ezekiel ends his book with the statement that says, “THE LORD IS THERE,” which is a declaration that God will make His dwelling among “flesh-mankind” on the EARTH, which this chapter addresses.
The main point we want to stress about this chapter is the existence of two forms of mankind, which was introduced in the previous chapter. This requires us to examine the original nature of the creation of mankind. Genesis tells us, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [soul].” Genesis 2:7 Traditionally we have taken “the breath of life,” to be essentially Adam and the dust to be his suite. However, the breath of life is a spirit of life which gives life to our body. [James 2:26, Rev. 11:11] When anyone in Adam dies, the breath of life returns to God who gave it, the body decays to be dust of the earth and the SOUL is held in Sheol. [Ecc. 12:7] [D.p] used to teach with the spirit we access the spiritual and with the body the natural. [Isaiah 26:9] This leaves the SOUL by which we are able to make sense of it all, our soul is saved, it is delivered, it is renewed in knowledge and it grows. [2 Corinthians 12:15, Hebrews 6:19; 10:39; 13:17, James 1:21; 5:20, 1 Peter 1:9,22, 3 John 1:2 and many more.] Which makes mankind essentially a Living Soul.
Now, when we are SAVED in Christ there is a fundamental shift that takes place in our makeup, we receive a new breath of life, the Holy Spirit Himself becomes our life in Christ Jesus. [John 14:19, Col. 3:4] We are utterly dependent on the Lord, it is on His merit the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling in us. [Romans 8:9, 1 Cor. 6:17] Here is where the change takes place, we are NOT saved to LIVE for the NATURAL realm but are saved to LIVE for the SPIRITUAL realm as God does. [1 Peter 4:6] And since the Lord is the Heavenly Man meaning a spirit-mankind we also will become like Him through death or the rapture. [1 Cor. 15:46-49] That is WE also will Put on our Heavenly Habitation which is eternal in the heavens. [2 Cor. 5:1] We are now a New Creation, CITIZENS of Heaven even though while we are on earth and in the flesh we live this out as a PROMISE by faith of a guarantee of what is to come. [Eph. 1:14, Romans 8:23-24, 2 Cor. 5:4-5, 1 John 3:2] So we no longer consider ourselves as flesh-mankind but set our hearts on the surety of the promise to come, a spiritual body of glory in the likeness of our Lord, a spirit-mankind. [2 Cor. 5:16-17, Phil 3:20-21]
It is IMPORTANT for us to know that we ATTAIN to be spirits ONLY in CHRIST. The Lord said, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those having been considered worthy to obtain that which is to the Age, and the resurrection which is from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. For neither are they able to die any more, for they are like the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Luke 20:34-36 Here the Lord Himself makes it VERY CLEAR that we who were created to be natural, “of this Age” attain to be like angels through the resurrection from the dead. Angels are spirits, “The One making His angels winds [spirits], and His ministers a flame of fire.” Hebrews 1:7 And Paul says of the Lord, “The first man Adam became into a living SOUL; ” the LAST Adam into a life-giving SPIRIT.” 1 Cor. 15:45 This is the VERY essence of the New Creation, a fundamental change in NATURE. Note: Adam is called a living soul because his soul is essentially ETERNAL, the spirit gives life to our body NOT to our soul.
So when God created Adam He did NOT create him to be spirit but a natural man to live in a natural world as He created angels to be spirits to live in the spiritual realm. The natural realm was NOT intended to be subject to death and corruption but was meant to eternally exists, Paul says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 [Isaiah 49:8-9] It is this perfect state which the Lord Jesus Christ reestablished by His death and resurrection. Rolling back the consequences that came into effect at the fall of Adam, the victory of which is evidently portrayed in the casting of Death [body] and Hades [soul] into the lake of fire, so that flesh-mankind no longer DIES, as Adam was ORIGINALLY intended to be. [Genesis 2:17]
This is the point we struggle with, it is the body of Adam and Eve that died NOT their spirit. Paul said, “the body is indeed dead on account of SIN.” Romans 8:10 When God said to Adam “dying you will die,” Genesis 2:17 He meant your body will grow old, it will tire, will suffer pain and sickness and eventually will succumb to death. This is supported by the fact the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the TREE of LIFE, and EAT, and LIVE forever.” Genesis 3:22 To Eat as he did of the tree of good and evil, through which his body died and it was also his body that was going to be brought to life to live forever ONLY this time it would have existed in an ETERNAL state of a sinful flesh. Sin dwells in the flesh not in the spirit. [Romans 7:18,23-24]
This brings us to the concept of the IMAGE of God. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27 And since we know God is Spirit [John 4:24] we deduce we also must be spirits. But what does “made in the IMAGE of God” really mean? Is it being spirit as He is spirit, well then ALL the angels resemble GOD far more than we do, since they are spirits in and out, even Satan then resembles the image of God better than us since he as well as his cohorts are all spirits. Is it the ability to reproduce after ourselves, even the angels were able to do that in Genesis 6:2-4. Is it having dominion over the earth, well Satan has been the ruler of this world for Ages. None of which reflected the image of God. So it is not substance, it is not reproducing and it is not dominion then what is the Image of God? The image of God is His nature, it is more than form, or shape it is the heart of His being. This is the point we struggle with; we associate image to be shape and form, so we think if we are natural that makes us less than His image.
When Adam, who once was considered the son of God sinned he ceased to be one, just as Satan who was once numbered among the sons of God [angels] was no longer considered one because iniquity was found in him. [Job 1:6] [S.I.O] teaching on Gen 5:1-3 says, Adam begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth, NOT that of God’s image but his own, that is in the image of the likeness of a fallen sinful creature. And ever since then fallen mankind in the true sense was considered to be a child of the devil, because we bore his sinful nature and therefore reflected his image, [John 8:44, Eph. 2:1-3] which is exhibited in the works of the flesh. [Gal. 5:19-21]
However, when the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh He was called the Son of God, being without spot or blemish Lamb of God. [Romans 8:3, Phil. 2:5-8, Hebrews 1:5, 9:14] And both John and Paul tell us He has made the invisible God known, being the express IMAGE of God. [John 1:18, Hebrews 1:3] That is He declared to us the true Nature of God. And Paul teaches us to be, “renewed in KNOWLEDGE according to the IMAGE of the one having created him.” Col. 3:10 We are renewed in knowledge of His IMAGE? We then can learn His image, we can emulate His image, and we portray His image as we grow in likeness to Him, then His IMAGE is MORE than hands and feet, it is MORE than form, more than substance, it is the resemblance to the express image of His nature. [2 Cor. 3:18; 4:10] So God says to us, be Holy as I am Holy. [1 Peter 1:15-16] Therefore our likeness to God is NOT dependent on us being spirits, so even though God did create Adam to be a natural being he STILL did bear His IMAGE. So while we in Christ are able to draw near to God and serve Him, this does not take away from the fact flesh-mankind will still resemble His image and God will make His abode among them.
Now, the ASTONISHING thing about all this is that the things that concern us [of the present Age] in the true sense ended at the return of the Lord with the Armies of Heaven. That is we have ALREADY attained to the HIGHEST point of our calling being made in the likeness of the Son of God, and are ALREADY in service to Him for ALL eternity. So Revelation 20-21 are basically about people who are YET to come. We are no longer part of the world but we are co-heirs and labourers with the Lord in administering His kingdom. So we are looking at the nations of the world from a TOTALLY different perspective, AS angels do to us that is we do not read ourselves into the narrative that is being told here. The temptation is to see ourselves on the New Earth being comforted but this is NOT so, we are the ones described as coming down from heaven from God in the NEW JERUSALEM, that is the Bride of the Lamb. She is our inheritance, being citizens of Heaven and NOT of the Earth and are PRIESTS of God and the Lamb.
The Inheritance of Flesh-Mankind.
“And I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the SEA is NO MORE. And I saw the holy city, the NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of HEAVEN from GOD, having been prepared as a BRIDE having been 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 tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them as their God. And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and DEATH will be NO MORE nor mourning nor CRYING nor PAIN; they will be no more, because the former things have passed away.” [vs. 1-4]
This chapter is the GENESIS of the New Heaven and Earth, the old things of the present heaven and earth have ALL passed away. Which Peter described as, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will PASS AWAY with a roar, and elements will be dissolved, burning with heat, and the earth and the works in it will NOT be found.” 2 Peter 3:10 That is everything that causes offence or is rebellious is also removed and cast into eternal fire be it angels or mankind.
Now in the previous chapter we were introduced to two types of Resurrections: The First is in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Man. The Second is in the likeness of the original Adam, flesh mankind set free from the domain of Death and Hades by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, “For as indeed in Adam ALL DIE, so also in Christ ALL will be made ALIVE.” 1 Cor. 15:22 And he makes a distinction for us between the First and Second resurrection saying, “But EACH in the own ORDER: Christ the firstfruit, then those of Christ at His coming.” [vs. 23] However, the Second are raised when Death, the last enemy, is defeated, which the last chapter addressed. [vs. 26] The significance of which is that it is their flesh and bone body that once was subject to death that will be raised. So those who take part in the Second resurrection are those from our Age and the Ages that precedes us who have rejected Christ and those who are to die in the coming Age of the Lord. These, along with those who are alive and remain when the final end does come, all of whom will be standing in a flesh and bone body of the EARTH. So while those whose names are found written in the Book of Life will continue into the New Heaven and Earth to inherit it which this chapter will address, the rest are cast into the Lake of Fire.
The Sea is No More: Sea and Land represent vastly different domains as heaven is to earth, we can even go further to make the comparison against Night and Day. In the previous chapter we saw, “the SEA gave up the dead who were in it,” the implication of which was that the Sea gave up the fallen angels that were bound in it. In the story of the demonic of Galilee, the evil spirits asked the Lord that He may permit them to enter the pigs and when He did, “And having gone out, they went away into the pigs, and behold, all the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.” Matthew 8:32 It might seem counter intuitive to us but in the story of epileptic, the father said, of the evil spirit “often it casts him both into fire and into waters, that it might destroy him.” Mark 9:22 The point is that it was not that they perished but the fact they wanted to enter the SEA, a domain of their choosing rather than being sent to the abyss. [Luke 8:31]
In the prophecies of Daniel and John we saw the SEA being stirred up to bring forth kingdoms on earth that are inspired by fallen angels. A beast is a representation of an unnatural manifestation of the combined effect of mankind with that of fallen angels, as it was in the days of Noah. [Genesis 6, Daniel 7:2-3, Revelation 13:1] During the Age of Babylon, the kingdom of God was a counter kingdom to the kingdoms of the world. However now, “The kingdom of the world has become that of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign to the ages of the ages.” Rev. 11:15 Which is the fulfilment of “the administration of the fullness of the times, to bring together all things in Christ—the things in the HEAVENS and the things upon the EARTH—” Eph. 1:10 The consequence of which is that God now administers His kingdom through spirit-mankind having authority over both heaven and earth through the Lord Jesus Christ. “The administration of the mystery having been hidden from the ages in God, the One having created all things, so that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to the purpose of the ages, which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph. 3:10-11
The fact is the Sea was good as well as the Night and angels were meant to minister to mankind however the fall rendered these to be the possession of the fallen. But now the administration of the earth is through spirit-mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ which renders such vastly different domains to be unnecessary. So we see in this chapter the Heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God coming down to the earth to be among flesh-mankind. So the [subjective] conclusion is that therefore there is no need for Sea as there will be no need for Night.
The New Jerusalem: We know the bride of Christ is the Church, [Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23-27, Col.1:18] but a Church is a term used for the CALLED OUT ones, a gathering of the righteous. And Paul tells us these are registered in Heaven, “You have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the HEAVENLY Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the ASSEMBLY, to the CHURCH of the firstborn having been ENROLLED in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been perfected, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, speaking better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24 That is the calling out, is from the world to be enrolled into heaven, which is the true essence of the Church, to be CITIZENs of the SPIRITUAL realm.
Isaiah says of Jerusalem, Zion, “You shall be called by a NEW NAME, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your SONS MARRY YOU; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:2-5 Forsaken and desolate is the term which Paul also used to describe the Heavenly Jerusalem, and he quoting the writing of Isaiah says, “Rejoice O barren woman, the one not bearing; break forth and call aloud, the one not travailing; because MANY more are the children of the DESOLATE woman than of her having the husband.” Isaiah 54:1 The one that had no children but now through the Lord Jesus Christ she has more children than the earthly Jerusalem. [Gal. 4:26-27] So as we are married to our Lord and Saviour to be one spirit with Him, we through whom are also married to the place of our ETERNAL Habitation, the Heavenly Jerusalem. So the Lord says, “The one overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall not go out anymore. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” [Revelation 3:12]
So when we see the Heavenly Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God to come down on the New Earth, we are witnessing ourselves, those who have attained to be SPIRIT-MANKIND in the Lord Jesus Christ coming down with her. John later establishes the EXCLUSIVITY of the Residents of the New Jerusalem to be ONLY those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and NOT those whose names are written in the Book of Life. [Rev. 21:27] This clearly establishes the presences of two-types of mankind, one flesh the other spirit, proving mankind was NOT created SPIRIT.
The Tabernacle of God is with Men: This is the significance of the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to be on the New earth. That is everything in Heaven and Earth being brought under One. Paul says, “The mystery of His will according to His pleasure, which He purposed in Him for the administration of the fullness of the times, to bring together ALL things in Christ—the things in the HEAVENS and the things upon the EARTH—” Ephesians 1:9-10 [And] “By Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace by the blood of His cross through Him, WHETHER the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.” Colossians 1:20
This was fully accomplished in the last Age when the Lord brought every enemy to subjection. Now we see the Throne of God the Heavenly Jerusalem coming down to the Earth in the fulfilment of which Paul described saying, “Then the END, when He [the Lord] shall hand over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He shall have annulled all dominion, and all authority and power…. Now when all things shall have been put in subjection to Him, then also the Son Himself will be put in subjection to the One having put in subjection all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” 1 Cor. 15:24,28 The result of which is that, “God Himself will be WITH them as their God.” That is God the Father dwelling among flesh-mankind, the magnitude of which we are only able to understand as we compare it with the current Heaven and Earth, where the Throne of God is as far removed and as it is INACCESSIBLE to mankind in the FLESH.
Death will be No More: Isaiah describes this day as, “On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds ALL peoples, the sheet that covers ALL NATIONS; He will swallow up DEATH forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the TEARS from ALL faces; He will remove his people’s disgrace from ALL the earth. The Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:7-8 This he says in respect to the SECOND Resurrection, which has application to all of flesh-mankind. That is flesh-mankind that came through the Age of the Lord whose names are written in the Book of Life, for the first time in ALL of Creation from Ages of Ages will come to know what it means NOT to DIE, “death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain.” The effect of the last earth’s pain and sorrow which came as a result of the SIN of Adam shall never be experienced again. Peter says, “But according to His promise, we are awaiting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13 and with that comes all the beauties of its fruit.
The implication of all this is that their body is set free from Sin. “Christ, having been raised up out from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer rules over Him. For that which He died, He died to sin once for all; but that which He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:9-10 We have stated how far reaching this effect is, not only to us who are made spirits in Him but to those whose flesh and bone body is set free from the hold of Sin and death. [1 Cor. 15:23]
However in reference to spirit-mankind John in a previous chapter wrote, ‘They are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One sitting on the throne will tabernacle over them. They will not hunger any more, neither will they thirst anymore, nor shall the sun at all fall upon them, nor any scorching heat; because the Lamb in the centre of the throne will shepherd them, and He will lead them to fountains living of waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15-17 We make this comparison to show that those who are part of the FIRST resurrection have a different role to play and the place of their habitation being in the Presence of God in the New Jerusalem. Isaiah also makes this distinction for us, “For behold, I CREATE new heavens and a new earth; and the FORMER shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I CREATE Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; The voice of WEEPING shall no longer be heard in HER, nor the voice of CRYING.” Isaiah 65:17-19 That is being a resident of the New Jerusalem, the City of God makes ALL the difference! Isaiah and John are referring to those whom God had comforted more than 1000 years ago, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
[It is worth to Note]: John in Revelation 7:15 makes mention that they serve God “day and night.” However as we will see in the New earth and the New Jerusalem there is No Night. This is explained by the fact that spirit-mankind, having come into the kingdom of God, will come to the present earth to reign with the Lord for 1000 years, which Isaiah 60:11 describes. And on the current Earth according to the promise of God, to Noah, “While the earth remains, Seed time and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 So John is speaking of spirit-mankind prior to the start of the Millennium rule of Christ.
“And the One sitting on the throne said, “Behold, I make ALL things NEW.” And He says, “Write this, because these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one THIRSTING I will give of the spring of the WATER of LIFE freely. The one OVERCOMING will inherit ALL things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” [vs. 5-7]
This is the verse that describes that we have come to the START of the Eternal state of things whereby the LAST that is flesh-mankind have now obtained their inheritance of the New Earth and the blessing of eternal life, as spirit-mankind had in chapters 19, at the Marriage supper of the Lamb and Chapter 20:4 in the raising of the last members of the body of Christ, whose eternal inheritance is the Heavenly Jerusalem.
We must bear in mind when Paul said, “Therefore from now, we regard no one according to the FLESH. Even though we have regarded Christ according to flesh, yet now we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATION. The old things have passed away; behold, the NEW has come into being.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 He is referring to a vastly different group of people than those who are to come in the final Age, so this statement has a different application. A New Creation is a term that applies to one whose name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, who is no longer flesh having a natural body but is spirit having a spiritual body. The entire chapter of 2 Corinthians 5 is all about the BODY, and the gap that exists in the present which we live out by faith in regard to that which is to come. “For we know that if the tent of our EARTHLY house should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the HEAVENS.” 2 Corinthians 5:1
So when flesh-mankind whose names are written in the Book of Life comes through the Age of the Lord having passed the Judgement of Second Death, they ALSO will take up the body of their habitation which is according to the New Heaven and Earth in which Righteousness dwells. [2 Peter 3:13] The essence being now in their flesh dwells righteousness NOT SIN. So when the Lord says, “I make ALL things NEW” it must apply to their body as it did apply to ours who are IN Christ. However, the term “if anyone is IN Christ is a NEW CREATION,” does not quite apply to flesh-mankind, they are not made NEW in that respect, but will obtain a NEW flesh and bone body according to Adam but of the New earth. The term New Creation is EXCLUSIVE to those who are IN Christ. Since likeness to the Lord MUST mean they are also made spirit as He is and if so then residents of heaven not of the Earth. And we KNOW for a fact that the people of the Age to come had to stand before the judgement of the Second Death which is proof of itself that they are NOT in Christ. Therefore they are NOT a New Creation but will obtain a New body, as [we expect] the New Earth will be inhabited with new vegetation and animals. And Isaiah makes it clear that there will be flesh in the new heaven and earth saying, “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, ALL FLESH shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22-23
The Next point John is describing is the terms of our inheritance, be it flesh-mankind or spirits-mankind, which he distinguishes from those who fail.
We have to keep in mind that the Gospel is different for the people of the Age to come than it is for us. We in faith see the Lord as the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed in weakness and was raised in power. [2 Cor. 13:4] That He is God in His act of Humility in the death of the cross and of His righteousness in the fact that death could not hold Him. [Acts 2:23-24, Romans 10:9-10, Phil. 2:5-8] And this TRUTH distinguishes the saved from the perishing, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those indeed perishing, but to us being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 However the people of the Age to come see the Lord in the MIGHT of His Glory and believe. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then ALL the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with POWER and GREAT GLORY.” Matthew 24:30 [Rev. 1:7] We use this verse to make a point, that ALL the inhabitants of the earth will SEE HIM, even though He is revealed the Second time coming with the Army of Heaven. The point is therefore their GOSPEL is different, they have to bring themselves into submission to learn of His ways, and they are judged on the account of it, according to their acts of righteousness. And the rebellious as Gog, and the wicked will be cast down. [Isaiah 26:10]
To the one Thirsting: We define the basic concept of thirst to mean, “To those who indeed with endurance in good work are seeking glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.” Romans 2:7 Since the Lord will give us the very thing we thirst for. Now this is a BASIC essence of THIRST that applies to people of ALL Ages. Both ours and the Age to come have to have this basic need to thirst for that which is eternal, the lack of which both in ours and theirs resulted in the casting away of the unbelieving. However the form of the reward differs according to each Age, one that was ruled by the devil the other by the Lord.
So we may say those who have come through the Age of the Lord with their names written in the Book of Life have drunk of the River of Life. The effect of which is that they are now in the New Heaven and Earth where, “death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain; they will be no more,” That is their flesh and bone body will receive life. There is a point worth considering here, when Adam and Eve fell God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the TREE of LIFE, and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22 We have explained the consequence of this would have been mankind would have dwelt eternally in the body of SIN. Here is where we draw the parallel, that the Lord also gives them to drink from the Spring of Living Water. We have pointed out that the people of this last Age are judged differently from us. They are judged for their works of righteousness, because they lived in a time of uprightness, in the Age of the Lord FREE from the trickery of Satan. So the MERIT of this life is to be allowed to be written in the Book of Life, which essentially means to drink from the Spring of Living Water, the effect of which is that their BODY is made alive in righteousness. [Matthew 25:31-46]
This makes sense when we compare it to our salvation, ones who dwell in the Age of Sin and the power of the ruler of the air. “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one believing in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” Now He said this concerning the Spirit, whom those having believed in Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39 In our case it produces one who is born again, to be a New Creation. Paul says, “But if Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead on account of sin, but the Spirit is life on account of righteousness.” Romans 8:10 NOT our body but the Spirit, being SAVED to live for the spiritual realm, which we obtain by FAITH and not works. And since we have partaken of the suffering of the Lord in our flesh we are made co-heirs with Him. [Romans 8:16-17] So Paul says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not comparable to the coming glory to be revealed to us.” [vs. 18]
The one Overcoming: Now the term “overcoming” is unique to our age only, which those who are to live during the Age of the Lord would have no knowledge of since they live in a time VOID of “the Advisory.” John describes our victory as, “And they have OVERCOME him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony; and they have not loved their life unto death.” Revelation 12:11 And “For everyone having been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory having overcome the world: our faith.” 1 John 5:4 Our victory is based on the fact that we are born of God, and our reward reflects just that, we INHERIT ALL things in our Lord Jesus Christ, both of Heaven and of the Earth. However, the same cannot be said to those who are in the flesh-mankind, whose portion is the New Earth to live in it eternally but NOT heaven.
“But to the COWARDLY and UNBELIEVING and having become abominable and murderers and the sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their portion is in the lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the SECOND DEATH.” [vs. 8]
[D.p] teaches pointing out that the first among those who are condemned are the “cowardly,” even before unbelievers. These are those who have believed and have known the truth but are fearful of man, friends, families, colleagues, false teachers and as a result they have drawn back, of whom Paul says, “But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he might shrink back, My soul does not take pleasure in him.” But we are not of those drawing back to destruction, but of faith to the preserving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:38-39 The point is to be cowardly you must first know something but are not willing to act being fearful of consequences, which is different from the unbelieving. [Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29, 2 Peter 2:20-21]
Paul described the unbelieving as, “But if indeed our gospel is concealed, it is concealed to those who are PERISHING, in whom the god of this age has BLINDED the minds of the UNBELIEVING, so as for not to beam forth the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 That is those who choose NOT to believe, since according to Paul in Romans 1:20 God has made Himself evident to ALL in the things which He created. However, their choice not to believe has made them subject to the domain of the devil. [S.I.O] Teaches that where there is no light darkness must occupy that place. Light is found in the knowledge of God therefore those who disregard God open themselves to be filled with darkness. “And as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do things not being proper; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice;” Romans 1:28-29 The result of which is that they will grow and excel in the things of darkness through which being deceived they encourage one another into more and more acts of depravity. The end of which is that, “in order that all those NOT having BELIEVED the truth but having DELIGHTED in unrighteousness should be JUDGED. “ 2 Thess. 2:12 which is to suffer the Second Death.
Sexual immorality, lying, murder, sorcerers, idolaters are all acts that value God to be less than. And our disregard for God makes these acts to be more pronounced, and brazen. David says, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” Psalm 14:1 The main thing being all our acts of wickedness is rooted in our disregard for God. And the danger of the resulting depraved mind is that it leads us to believe EVIL is GOOD and GOOD is EVIL and we won’t know our true state until we repent toward God. He is the ONLY source of EVERYTHING that is GOOD. Paul says, “For it behoves the one drawing near to God to BELIEVE that He EXISTS and that He becomes a REWARDER to those earnestly seeking Him out.” Hebrews 11:6
The Inheritance of Spirit-Mankind.
“And one of the SEVEN ANGLES having the seven BOWLS being full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the BRIDE, the WIFE of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and HIGH MOUNTAIN, and he showed me the HOLY CITY JERUSALEM, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a MOST precious stone, like a JASPER STONE being CLEAR as CRYSTAL, having a GREAT and HIGH WALL, having TWELVE GATES, and at the gates twelve angels, and names having been inscribed which are the names of the TWELVE TRIBES of the sons of ISRAEL. On the east were three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the WALL of the CITY had TWELVE FOUNDATIONS, and in them the twelve names of the TWELVE APOSTLES of the LAMB.” [vs. 9-14]
The first part of this chapter has described to us the inheritance of the flesh-mankind, the New Heaven and the New Earth. Now, the angel shows John the inheritance of spirit-mankind in the Lord, the New Jerusalem which is the place of the habitation of God.
One of the seven angels having the seven bowls: Now the obvious question is, why the angel that was used to pour out judgement upon the last Earth and used to show John the judgement of the Great Prostitute is the one used to show the Wife of the Lamb? Even though between chapters 17 and 21 there are several other mighty angels that were mentioned, the Lord made sure to SPECIFICALLY state this angel. The point is the CONTRAST, the Great Prostitute represents one who is a CLOSE relation, a sister to the TRUE bride of Christ. In the explanation of Chapter 19 we have shown that the True and False church were represented in the parable of the Ten Virgins, ones that slept SIDE by SIDE while waiting for the Lord. [Matthew 25:1-13] So even though between these two expressions there is a GREAT gulf of a 1000 years, one of the angels that was part of the Seven Bowls that showed John the judgement of the Great Prostitute is also used to show him the Lamb’s wife. In the Parable of Dragnet, the angels that separated the righteous into the vessels were the same ones that cast away the evil [from among those caught in SAME NET] into the furnace. [Matthew 13:45-50]
This should impress on us how closely related the two are. Great Babylon is not some ancient religious system or some other political system, but a CHURCH that called on the name of the Lord. An Ishmael to Isaac, an Esau to Jacob, a Sadducees to the Pharisees, the Prostitute to the Wife, all of whom represent a close tie yet one that has missed the mark.
The BRIDE, the WIFE of the Lamb: Isaiah says of the New Jerusalem, “For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5 The point we want to make here is that there is a difference between the Lamb’s Wife the Church and the Bride the Heavenly Jerusalem, that is between the people and the place.
John says of the Marriage of the Lamb, “Hallelujah! For the Lord God our Almighty has reigned. We should rejoice and should exult and will give to Him the glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride [γυνὴ (wife)] has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should be clothed in bright, pure, fine linen. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:6-8 Here we want to point out a correction in the translation, the word translated bride should be wife which is evident from the verse used in this passage,“νύμφην (bride), τὴν (the) γυναῖκα (wife).” [Rev. 21:9]
Marriage is UNION, while we are in the flesh we are called betrothed to the Lord, Paul says, “For I have betrothed you to one husband, to present a pure virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 However when the Bride, the Church is taken up to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord, the people that comprised the Church will come to FULL unity with the Lord being made EXACTLY as He is, having taken up our heavenly habitation in fulfilment of the promise. [Romans 8:23, 2 Cor. 5:5, Eph. 1:13-14] Therefore are UNITED to be with Him forever, no longer a Bride but as a WIFE, one whose body is made of the substance of the Lord as Eve was to Adam. God presented Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden to be his helpmate, the Church is also presented to the Lord in heaven [place of habitation] to reign with Him. The adornment of the wife of the Lamb is described as, “she should be clothed in bright, pure, fine linen,” which John explains to be “the righteous acts of the saints,” the point is the reference is to people not a place.
Jeremiah says, “They say, ‘If a man divorces his WIFE, and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, may he return to her again?’ Would not that LAND be greatly polluted?” Jeremiah 3:1 The point is land is used as synonym for a wife, the idea being the wife a fertile ground and the husband the seed. Amos says, “I will PLANT them in their LAND, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.” Amos 9:15 So it is in this manner the Lord considers the Land to be married, when the seeds are planted in it. However we see here John describing the New Jerusalem as, “the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” That is in order for the New Jerusalem to be a wife, as Isaiah says, her sons must marry her. When the Lord married His wife the Church, the next event that took place is, He returned to the Earth to reign and rule for 1000 years. Marriage is union, sons of Jerusalem cannot marry her properly until they make their dwelling in her. So at the end of the Ages, the Lord is going to make His dwelling in the New Jerusalem and when He does she is no longer called a bride but a wife.
A Great and High Mountain: The moment John is describing here is the fulfilment of an event which Daniel prophesied saying, “You watched while a Stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the Stone that struck the image became a GREAT MOUNTAIN and filled the WHOLE EARTH.” Daniel 2:34-35 Paul described this event as, “Then the end, when He shall hand over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He shall have annulled all dominion, and all authority and power. For it behoves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet.” 1 Cor. 15:24-25 The annulling is the breaking of the kingdoms of the world into pieces for it to be swept away never to be found again. So the Great mountain is a representation of the establishment of the kingdom of God that will never be destroyed. [Daniel 2:44, Rev. 11:15]
So what John is witnessing here is the moment when the Son the Lord Jesus Christ is handing over the kingdom to God the Father. As the New Jerusalem the place of the THRONE of GOD comes down to be on the New Earth, forever. “Now when all things shall have been put in subjection to Him, then also the Son Himself will be put in subjection to the One having put in subjection all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” 1 Cor. 15:28
Now, we need to make an association here to the writing of Ezekiel, “In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city [Jerusalem] was captured [struck], on the VERY same DAY the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. In the visions of God He took me into the land of ISRAEL and set me on a very HIGH MOUNTAIN; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a CITY.” Ezekiel 40:1-2 This event Ezekiel is describing is following on the vision he had of the end of Gog, which represents the end of the present Earth. The City Jerusalem being struck is a reference to the End of the Age of the Lord of the present Earth, where the Lord will administer His kingdom for a 1000 years. Israel represents the New Earth where righteousness dwells. Note: the essence of Israel is righteousness, the Lord said of Nathanael “Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” John 2:47 So as the Old Earth passes away Ezekeil sees the coming of the New, the Very High Mountain holds the same meaning as Daniel and John, it is a representation of the Kingdom of God. The point is the New Earth has come and Ezekiel is going to describe the New Jerusalem, and the Temple within it. And in Ezekiel’s portrayal of the distribution of inheritance the whole district of Jerusalem with the temple within it is set apart for the priests. Which is a representation of the dwelling place of spirit-mankind in the presence of God.
The Holy City Jerusalem, descending out of heaven From GOD: Paul said, “I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago—whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know; God knows—such a man, having been caught up to the THIRD heaven.” 2 Cor. 12:2 The New Heaven and Earth is in respect to the first and second heaven, which is visible to our naked eyes, the Heavens that are made of natural material. However, the Holy City Jerusalem is coming down from the Third Heaven, where God says, “Heaven is My THRONE, and earth is My footstool.” Isaiah 66:1 The Heaven which is spiritual and eternal.
A MOST precious stone, like a JASPER STONE: Jasper Stone is mentioned as Twelfth precious stones that adorn the breastplate of the Levitical Priesthood, “And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a JASPER.” Exodus 28:20 The Twelfth Hebrew letter is Lamedh ל which represents an Ox-goad, shepherd crook, the idea being governance. [Wikipedia] It represents the perfect governmental foundation, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve governors of Solomon, the twelve Apostles of the Lord sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Around the Throne of God there are 24 thrones of the elders, representing the two portions, the old and new. [1 kings 4:7, Matthew 19:28, Rev. 4:4]
Now the Great High Wall of the New Jerusalem is also made of Jasper and its First foundation is adorned with a Jasper stone. The first Hebrew letter is Aleph א: which represents the ones of God. The letter is composed of three parts, the Upper the hidden aspect, the Lower the revealed aspect and the Diagonal that connects the two.[Wikipedia] The Father the unseen God, the Son the revealed God and the Holy Spirit that units to be One. God the Father dwelt in God the Son through the Holy Spirit. And God the Father and God the Son make Their dwelling in us through God the Holy Spirit. [John 14:23, 26]
A wall represents an idea of keeping UNWANTED elements out, John writes of the New Jerusalem, “And anything defiling, and those practising abomination and a lie, NEVER shall ENTER into it; only those having been written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:27 The criteria of the wall is founded on twelve apostles of the Lord. So the conclusion is the fact the wall is made of Jasper represents the working of God through spirit-mankind, it is UNITING the 12 of the old with 1 of the new, the governance of God worked out through spirit-mankind. [Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9-11] We are Co-heirs with Christ the Son of God, who is lifted FAR above every principality and power, to be His helpmate in administering His purpose. [Eph. 1:20-23] Paul summaries it, as “[You] are fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is increasing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22 So even though Jasper is supposedly the most common of all the gemstones, God calls it the Most precious stone. Because it represents the unit of God with mankind, which was obtained through the PRECIOUS Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Col 1:19-20]
CLEAR as CRYSTAL, represents there are no hidden flaws, no imperfection, just pure and perfect. It is transparent, there are no IMPURITIES in it. The same term is used to describe the gold from which the City is made. [J.p] teaches Gold represents God and His righteousness. God has used the analogy of purification many times in Scripture, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Psalm 12:6 The purpose of purification is to draw out all impurities, it conveys the idea of being made perfect. So the Jasper Stone that represents the unity of God with Mankind, being made clear as crystal conveys the idea of being faultless and without blame before God. [Eph. 1:4-5; 5:26-27, 1 Thess. 5:23] And Paul conveys this transparency as, “For presently we see through a glass in obscurity; but then, face to face. Presently, I know in part; but then I will KNOW FULLY, even as I have been FULLY KNOWN.” 1 Cor. 13:12 Being faultless carries with it the idea of openness, no hidden aspect, as one the light of God has illuminated every part. David says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23-24
The Gates of the Wall: The Great and High Wall goes around the City of the New Jerusalem which is laid out in a square. And we have used the layout of the Camp of Israel in the wilderness which God gave to Moses to apply here. So the East Gate: Judah with [Issachar & Zebulun] sons of Leah – South Gate: Ruben with [Simeon & Gad] sons of Leah and Zilpha – West Gate: Ephraim with [Manasseh & Benjamin] sons of Rachel – North Gate: Dan with [Asher & Naphtali] sons of Bilah & Zilpha. [Num. 2] In the middle we have the Tabernacle of God where the Ark of the Covenant was kept which hosted the presences of God, in this case it is the New Jerusalem, the Throne of God.
“And the one speaking with me had a GOLDEN measuring REED, so that he could measure the CITY, and its GATES, and its WALL. And the CITY lies foursquare, and its LENGTH the same as also the WIDTH. And he measured the city with the reed at TWELVE thousand STADIA. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured its WALL, one hundred forty-four cubits, the measure of man, that is of the angel.” [vs. 15-17]
Golden Reed: in order to understand what is meant by this we have compared to John’s earlier statement. “And a measuring ROD like a staff was given to me, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it. And leave out the courtyard outside the temple, and do not measure it, because it has been given up to the nations, and they will trample upon the holy city forty and two months.” Rev. 11:1-2 We have explained in Chapter 11 that the measuring of the temple with the Rod signified the separation of the Jews from the Gentiles, the consequence of which was that as the Jews came to repentance at the testimonies of the two witnesses the Gentiles grew obstinate. So a Rod signifies a means of CORRECTION, God said of Israel, “I will make you pass under the ROD, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me.” Ezekiel 20:37-38
However a Reed is easily bruised and broken, it is gentle and pliable so it has no use as a means to correct or discipline anyone. As we have said before Gold represents Divinity and in this case it represents God’s own righteousness. So when the angel is measuring the City, the Gates and the Wall with the Golden Reed, he is stating the requirements of entering the city by which spirit-mankind is separated from flesh-mankind. Now this is not to say the righteousness of God is easily broken, Rev. 21:27 clearly counters that. The point is that God is NO LONGER angry, He will NOT correct anyone with a Rod. Note: the New Earth is a place where righteousness dwells, and there will be no more, death, no pain, no crying. Isaiah describes the dealing of God with mankind as, “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would NOT be ANGRY with you, nor REBUKE you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed.” Isaiah 54:9-10
The City is shaped like a CUBE, “foursquare” its length and the breadth and the height are all equal, the purpose being to convey perfection of God’s Kingdom [perfect governance with the number 12]. Stadia [stadium] is a Roman measurement term, for which we do not have an accurate value, it is estimated to be between 150 and 210 metres. So on average 12,000 Stadia equals 2,160 kilometres. [12,000*180/1000]
The Wall: 144 cubits, John here is measuring only the height not the width or length, “a great and high wall.” There are two types of cubits, a regular which is 18 inches or 44 centimetres or a royal cubit that is cubit and handbreadth which approximately works out to be about 21 inches or 54 centimetres. We will see the measurement Ezekiel uses is that of the royal one, and we have also used the same here because John equates the measurement of man to that of an angel. The [subjective] reasoning being he is also using a measurement that is set apart, to convey holiness. So 144 cubits works out to be a wall that is 78 metres high. [144*54/100]
The Ezekiel passage that is parallel to these verses is, “He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring ROD in his hand, and he stood in the gateway…Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.” Ezekiel 40:3,5 The wall that surrounds the Temple Ezekiel is describing is 3 metres high and 3 metres wide. [6*54/100]
Now, the place where the city and the temple is to be found which is termed as the Holy District is described by Ezekiel as, “The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong:.. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the centre. It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. “Opposite the border of the priests, the Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord. The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the centre…. The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.” Ezekiel 48:9-20 The MAIN point being it is also foursquare and set in the middle of the tribes of Israel.
“And the structure of its WALL was JASPER, and the CITY pure GOLD, like clear GLASS, the foundations of the wall of the city having been adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve GATESwere twelve PEARLS; each one of the gates respectively was of one pearl, and the STREET of the city pure GOLD, transparent as glass.” [vs. 18-21]
The Wall of Jasper and the City of pure Gold clear as Glass is explained above.
Foundation of Precious Stones: Isaiah describes Jerusalem as, “O you AFFLICTED one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones with colourful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones.” Isaiah 54:11-12 That is the adornment of precious stone is a portrayal of having endured affliction and persecution. And here John is describing the foundation of the Wall of Jasper which represents spirit-mankind that has come through this Age. The Lord said, “Blessed are you when they shall insult you and shall persecute you, and lying shall say all kinds of evil against you on account of Me. Rejoice and EXULT, because GREAT is your REWARD in the HEAVENS; for thus they persecuted the prophets before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 [1 Peter 2:20-21; 4:13-14, Romans 8:17-18]
The point is it is the foundation of the WALL that is adorned with precious stones. The people that come through this Age differ in that they are engaged in spiritual battle. The angel said to John at the commencement of this Age, “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great FURY, knowing that he has a short time.” Rev. 12:12 [Eph. 6:12] It is engaging the unseen through faith. And the Elder described the bride of Christ to John saying, “These are the ones coming out of the GREAT TRIBULATION, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14 So those who come through having endured much affliction for the sake of Christ will be adorned with precious stones. This reward for affliction is not only for those that came during the Grace period but also those that preceded them. Paul says, “By faith Moses, having become grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, having chosen to SUFFER AFFLICTION with the people of God, rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of sin, having esteemed the REPROACH of CHRIST greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking toward the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26 [Hebrews 11:39-40]
Gates of PEARLS: All the gates are made of the same precious item, a PEARL. These Gates are guarded by 12 angels, the significant point being nobody can just come in. So the Gates made of a single Pearl represents who is able to enter into the city. The Lord in the Parables of the Treasure and Pearl said, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. And having found ONE very precious PEARL, having gone away, he has sold all things as many as he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46 [D.p] Teaches that the Pearl of Great value represents each and every believer for whom the Lord paid the price with His life. The idea being, if only one could be saved from the whole world, the Lord would have died to pay the price for that single soul. So the entryway is made of a Single Pearl, to say ONLY those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life may enter into the City. [B.j] also teaching on the gates of Pearl points out the fact that pearls are formed through a process of irritation which he associates to be an aspect of enduring affliction. As Paul says, “through many tribulations it behoves us to enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22 The point being taking part in Christ affliction is what separates us, from those who are to come in the Next Age.
Street of the City Pure Gold: Streets represent a manner of walk, a conduct. David said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 He is saying, Your word helps me to walk in a path of righteousness. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3 And Isaiah says, “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:8-10 Isaiah makes a point though a person be a fool, when walking upon that road he will not be led astray, because there are no lions nor ravenous animals to misled him. So the street of Gold transparent as glass represents those who walk on it will conduct themselves in righteousness and blameless manner. That is in the City there will be NOTHING that causes defilement, abomination or a lie.
“And I saw NO TEMPLE in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. And the CITY has no need of the SUN, nor of the MOON, that they should shine in it; for the GLORY of GOD ENLIGHTEN it, and its LAMP is the LAMB. And the NATIONS will walk by its LIGHT, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. And its GATES shall not be SHUT by DAY, for there will be NO NIGHT there.” [vs. 22-25]
No Temple: The Temple of God on Earth came about as a copy of the things in heaven, at the establishment of the covenant of the Law. Paul says, “[The priests] serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly, as Moses was divinely instructed, being about to complete the tabernacle. For He says, “See that you shall make all things according to the pattern having been shown you in the mountain.” Hebrews 8:5 [Hebrews 9:19-22] The MAIN term of this covenant was SEPARATION, “I am the Lord your God, who has set you APART from the NATIONS. You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have SET you APART from the nations to be my own.” Leviticus 20:25-26 And Ezekiel expressing God’s disappointment in Israel failure to uphold His statues says, “In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating My temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.” Ezekiel 44:7
Paul also pointing out the gulf that once existed between Jew and Gentile said, “Remember that formerly you—the Gentiles in the flesh, the ones being called the uncircumcision by that being called the circumcision, made by hands in the flesh— that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, not having hope and without God in the world. But NOW in Christ Jesus you, the ones once being far off, have become near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, having made both one and having BROKEN DOWN the BARRIER of the partition of hostility, having ANNULLED in His FLESH the LAW of COMMANDMENTS in ordinances, so that He might CREATE in Himself the TWO into one NEW MAN.” Ephesians 2:11-15 Basically what Paul is stating is, IN Christ Jesus there is No Jew Nor Gentile ALL are ONE in Him. [Galatians 3:28, Hebrews 7:18-19]
Now the result of which is that, the Temple Service that separated Jew from Gentiles according to the FLESHLY ordinances is no longer applicable. [Romans 4:13-16] Being replaced by the New Covenant whereby the people of God themselves being purified in body and soul by the precious blood of Christ have become the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. [Hebrews 10:22] Which Paul describes as, “Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is increasing into a holy TEMPLE in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together FOR a HABITATION of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:20-22 So the Earthly Temple continued until the day the Lord offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins, bringing to an end the ordinance of the Law. “And Jesus, having cried again in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom.” Matthew 27:50-51 Exposing the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was once hidden from sight, declaring NO such separation is any longer necessary, in the present Age of Grace.
Now the NEXT time we encounter the Ark of the Covenant is in Revelation, “And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ARK of His Covenant was seen in His temple.” Rev. 11:19 Which is an illustration of the same event that took place on Earth at the closing of the Age of the Law. Only this time it is in response to the Jews coming to faith in God and Christ, that the Last members of the body of Christ are gathered. [Rev. 11:13] The SIGNIFICANT point being, in heaven that is in Christ, where the complete body of Christ is present there is no Jew nor Gentile, the separation which was once defined in the Law and kept in Temple worship, is now brought to a CLOSE. And a New system of ASSEMBLY is declared, which Paul describes as, “You have come to Mount Zion, and the CITY of the living God, the HEAVENLY Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the ASSEMBLY, to the CHURCH of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been PERFECTED, and to Jesus the mediator of a New Covenant.” Hebrews 12:22-24 That is the Heavenly Jerusalem, where ONLY those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life may enter. Meaning they are in Christ therefore NO Longer Jew or Gentile, therefore there is NO NEED for a Temple of Covenant that defines such separation. [The Lord Himself is the Covenant.]
No Sun, No Moon: Isaiah says, “The SUN shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the MOON give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting LIGHT, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the Lord will be your everlasting LIGHT, and the days of your MOURNING shall be ENDED. Also your people shall ALL be RIGHTEOUS; They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.” Isaiah 60:19-21
[S.I.O] teaches that the first thing the Lord said when He created the heavens and the earth is, “Let there be light.” Genesis 1:3 She points out that God said this before there was any star or moon in the heavens, meaning this light is SPIRITUAL. Isaiah says of the Lord, “He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;” Isaiah 11:4 That is there is a sight that is beyond that of our natural eyes which is served by the Sun and moon. So the basic concept of this feature is that the ability to see in God’s Light will affect the way we walk and conduct ourselves. The Lord said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:22 So we see here God and the Lamb are the Light of the New Earth.
It is important to remember when the Heavens and the Earth were created, the sun, stars and moon came about on the FOURTH day, AFTER Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and the Earth had brought forth the trees and grass on the THIRD day. [Genesis 1:11-13, Genesis 2:5-7] The light of God was what sustained life, that is God is what is necessary to life, not the things of natural order. Adam had to move in the Light of God, the plants were alive by the light of God not the Sun.
Glory of God will Enlighten: That is the Light of the Glory of God is more than just seeing, it is understanding. Solomon says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverb 9:10 So the Light of the Glory of God is knowledge of Him, Habakkuk says, “For the earth will be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of the GLORY of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habak. 2:14 The EFFECT of which Isaiah describes as, “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.” Isaiah 11:9 The Light of the Glory of God affecting the conduct of mankind. The Lord specifying the ministry of Paul said, “To open their EYES, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those having been sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18 John says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we should say that we have fellowship with Him, and yet should walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6 Fellowship in the Light of God is meant to affect our WALK.
So to understand the Glory of God by which we are to walk, we have to understand the current state of this fallen world. The Lord said, “But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23 The EYE is not a reference to the organ through which we see but our UNDERSTANDING. That is if we understand wrong our whole lives will be wrong, the faculty of our reasoning being corrupted. Solomon says, “There is a way that SEEMS right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverb 14:12 Which Paul attributed the debased state of mankind purely to this one fact,“And as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do things not being proper.” Romans 1:28 [2 Cor. 4:4] The result of which is that they reveled in the works of darkness, because their understanding was corrupted.
So by the same measure, “And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the GLORY of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18 That is as we come to the knowledge of God, His nature and character being revealed to us through His word, we are transformed into the same image we “understand.” Paul describes this process again in Ephesians, “We all may attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Eph. 4:13 First we come to the knowledge of the Son of God. The effect of which, we grow to the measure of His stature of the fullness of Christ, meaning we exhibit His nature. Note, understanding is the requirement that determines our level of walk in God, Paul says, “Therefore as many as are MATURE should be of this MIND. And if you are minded in anything differently, even this God will REVEAL to you. Nevertheless, to that which we have attained, we are to walk by the same.” Phil. 3:15-16
So the point is if in the present Earth the darkness of the light of the devil affected the conduct of mankind by darkening our understanding, how much more will the Light of the Glory of God enlighten our understanding that we may live righteously. Paul prayed, “You may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk worthily of the Lord: pleasing in all, bringing forth fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10 So, the Light of the Glory of God is ALL encompassing, it is Life, it is understanding, through which the Nations will WALK by its Light.
Lamp of the Lamb: David said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 He is saying, Your word helps me to walk in a path of righteousness. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3 It is not just the words, but understanding of the words, “Through Your precepts I get understanding; THEREFORE I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:104
Then, if the EYE is the Lamp of the body, the means by which we are able to understand, then the Lord is our Eye. Paul said, “But he who is spiritual judges all things, but he himself is judged by no one. “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct Him?” But we have the MIND of CHRIST.” 1 Cor. 2:15-16 That is, it is through the Lord Jesus Christ that we can understand the Truth of God. The Lord said, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and to whom the Son might choose to reveal Him.” Matthew 11:27 So we are able to walk in the Glory of the Light of God because we have the Lamb as a lamp. “Whenever one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away… We all having been UNVEILED in face, BEHOLDING as in a mirror the GLORY of the LORD.” 2 Cor. 3:16,18 That is to say, we know and understand the many facets of the Glory of God because our EYES are opened in Christ.
Gates Shall NOT be Shut by Day: From the writing of Isaiah we have an opportunity to compare the Millennium reign of the Lord to that of the New Earth. Isaiah first says, “The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, but in My favour I have had mercy on you. Therefore your GATES shall be OPEN continually; They shall not be shut DAY or NIGHT, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession. For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Isaiah 60:10-12 This portion is describing the Earthly Jerusalem, there is still night and day, the city is being built and prospering and nations will bring their wealth [glory] into her with their kings and there will be recompense to those who disobey.
The Second time in the same chapter, Isaiah says, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your SUN shall no longer go down, Nor shall your MOON withdraw itself; For the Lord will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.” Isaiah 60:19-21 Here Isaiah is referring to the New Earth, where there will be no death, no pain or mourning AND there will be NO NIGHT, the Glory of God being the Light. To this John says, “Its gates shall not be shut by day, FOR there will be no night there.” This is not to say if there was a night the gates will be shut, since we can see on the day of the Lord the Gates of the earthly Jerusalem are not shut by day or night. Therefore John here is simply stating a FACT, there is NO Night. Therefore, the only thing he can say about the Gates of the New Jerusalem being CONTINUALLY being opened is that, in a land where there is NO NIGHT, the gate is ALWAYS opened ALL day. So the difference between the two Jerusalems is the presence of Night.
Now, the main purpose of “the Gates being Continually Open” is to show that THERE will NEVER again be a barrier between God and mankind, because of the EVERLASTING Covenant established through the Lord Jesus Christ! [Ezekiel 37:26]
It is worth noting that the reason Isaiah 60 speaks so seamlessly between the two Jerusalems is to show that the kingdom the Lord will establish on the Earth during His Millennium rule will last forever. [Daniel 2:44, Rev. 11:15] So as the Old Earth is replaced by the New Earth, it maintains the continual of the kingdom that was perfected. The only difference is, in the New Earth the Lord hands over the Kingdom to God His Father and be submitted unto Him, that God may be in ALL. [1 Cor. 15:28] That is why both Ezekiel and John describe the New Jerusalem from a vantage point of a Great and High Mountain.
“And THEY will bring the GLORY and the HONOUR of the NATIONS into it. And anything DEFILING, and those practising ABOMINATION and a LIE, NEVER shall enter into it; ONLY those having been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” [vs. 26-27]
Now, when it says “THEY,” the reference is to “the kings of the earth.” Here there is a clear distinction between those who bring the glory into the New Jerusalem and the nations. Our assertion is that the kings of the earth are a reference to spirit-mankind. John says of the Lord, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Revelation 1:5 and John follows that statement with, “He has made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.” [vs. 6] This is translated by many others to mean, “kings and priests,” which accords with the statement of Peter who said, “You are a chosen race, a ROYAL priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession.” 1 Peter 2:9 Royalty refers to kingship. Finally we have established before, that we are made in the EXACT likeness of the Lord, and the Lord is established according to the order of “Melchizedek.” [Hebrews 5:6] That is according to, “Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High.” Hebrews 7:1 That is Melchizedek was both King and Priest of God.
The Lord said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit down upon His THRONE of glory, you having followed Me, you also will sit on twelve THRONES, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19:28 The writings of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel all showed that the nations of the world had spiritual forces that ruled over them, and these were referred to either as princes or kings. And during the Millennium Reign of the Lord spirit-mankind has occupied this place to administer the kingdom of the Lord. [Rev. 20:4] So our assertion is that these kings of the earth are spirit-mankind who will bring the glory of the nations [flesh-mankind] over whom they have charge, into the New Jerusalem. So John states here, that only those “written in the Lamb’s book of life,” are able to enter, the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God and the Lamb. The point is the nations are flesh, the new Jerusalem is spirit, therefore they may dwell on the New Earth but will not be able to enter the City of God.
Spirit-mankind is rewarded accordingly, the Lord is called, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rev. 19:16 This must mean that there are some who are made lords and others kings. The Angels of God differ in duties, there are those who came down to the earth and there are those who are forever present before the throne of God. Angels that go back and forth: Matthew 18:10; and Cherubim that are present before the throne of God Rev. 4:8. The greatest honour the Lord gives to spirit-mankind is the one He awarded to the church of Philadelphia, “The one overcoming, I will make him a PILLAR in the temple of My God, and he shall NOT GO OUT ANYMORE. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Revelation 3:12 Likewise there are among spirit-mankind that go back and forth on the New Earth, while others are a permanent fixture in the New Jerusalem.
The Lamb’s Book of Life is a reference to those who are spirits. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation.” 2 Cor. 5:17 That is, No Longer FLESH but SPIRIT.
Finally, John makes a statement of FACT, as an everlasting state of being, “anything DEFILING, and those practising ABOMINATION and a LIE, NEVER shall enter into it.” This is not to say the new earth will have anything like this, since it is established in righteousness, and mankind in the flesh are not able to enter into New Jerusalem either way. But the fact of the matter is that the New Jerusalem is purified by the Blood of the Lord, so only those who are perfected in Him are able to enter. We can compare this statement to the present Heaven of our Age, since the DAY the Lord was lifted up, to enter into heaven by His blood, EVERY abomination, that is Satan and his cohorts were immediately cast out, NEVER to darken heaven’s door again. [Rev. 12:10-12] And since that day only those who died in the Lord were able to enter into heaven.
Revelation 22: Throne of GOD and the Lamb and the Water of Life.
This is the closing chapter of the Book of Revelation. The events described in this chapter are the continuation of the description that started in the previous chapter of the New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem. For which the Millennium Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Earth is a foreshadow of the reality of God’s kingdom with ALL of its GLORY. So in some respects the description given here bears a striking resemblance to the description of the Garden of Eden. The only expectation being the fate of the state of the world to come is ALREADY eternally decided by the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, in bringing both Heaven and Earth to be under ONE. [Eph. 1:10-11, Col 1:20] And as stated in the previous chapter, the book of Genesis chapter 2-3 and the book of Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are the main sources through which we are able to substantiate our understanding.
This chapter conveys to us the full Concept of restoration, God bringing ALL of creation to be under the Glory of His presence. As such we see the Godhead, the Trinity of God portrayed working together for this purpose. In Revelation 4 & 5, the Godhead were represented in Heaven, as the Ancient of Days sitting upon His throne, before whom stood Seven Lamps of Fire which are the Seven Spirits of God and in the midst of the Throne we see the Lamb coming to receive Glory, Honour and Dominion, which Daniel also described for us in Daniel 7:13-14. However, as a fitting concept of RESTORATION of ALL things, we see Heaven upon the New Earth and the Godhead represented as, the Throne of God and the Lamb from whom flows the River of Life, that is the Spirit of God, bringing LIFE into the whole of Creation.
The amazing concept for us to see is the similarity of the work of the Lord’s redemption portrayed in creation itself. Please note the description we give here is of the present earth, nevertheless it is a foreshadow of the things that are to come upon the New Earth. Paul says, “The One having raised up Christ Jesus out from the dead also will give life to your MORTAL BODIES, on account of His Spirit dwelling in you.” Romans 8:11 The Spirit gives life to the body, which is a representation of the dust of the Ground. Likewise, the flow of the River of Life which spirit-mankind experiences from within is portrayed right before us in River of Life that flows into ALL of creation bringing life to all who partake of the FRUITS of the GROUND that is all of flesh be it mankind or the wonders of the many of God’s creatures, because the Ground itself is healed. As Paul says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:19-21 [Ezekiel 47, Zechariah 14:8-9] Which is the ESSENTIAL concept that is portrayed in this chapter, the successful Restoration of ALL things.
The New Garden of Eden.
“And he showed me a RIVER of WATER of LIFE, clear as crystal, flowing out of the THRONE of GOD and of the LAMB. In the middle of its STREET and of the RIVER, on this side and on that side, was a TREE of LIFE, producing TWELVE fruits, yielding its fruit ACCORDING to each month; and the LEAVES of the TREE are for the HEALING of the NATIONS.” [vs. 1-2]
The River of Water of Life represents the Holy Spirit, it is the only manner in the vision of John that the Lord is depicted with God and the Lamb, so in this statement we are seeing God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Now, we want to make clear what John is witnessing is NOT the inside of the New Jerusalem but things that are of the New Earth. The Throne of God and the Lamb is an expression for the WHOLE of New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God. Isaiah writes, “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My THRONE, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?” Isaiah 66:1 The point is the Lord described the Heavenly Jerusalem to be His throne. In the Old, God the Father, God the Word and God the Holy Spirit, ruled as God from His Throne in Heaven. However, the Heavenly Jerusalem is now called NEW because the Lord in the likeness of mankind sits upon the throne of His Father, therefore the New Jerusalem is called, “the THRONE of GOD and of the LAMB,” and on whose account the Life of God now flows into all creation.
Now the vision which Ezekiel saw helps to substantiate the vision which John describes. “Then he brought me back to the door of the TEMPLE; and there was WATER, flowing from UNDER the threshold of the temple toward the EAST, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the RIGHT side of the temple, SOUTH of the ALTAR. He brought me out by way of the NORTH GATE, and led me around on the outside to the OUTER GATEWAY that faces EAST; and there was Water, running out on the right side.” Ezek. 47:1-2 Ezekiel is describing the Temple which from Earth’s perspective is the dwelling place of the presence of God, and serves as a foreshadow of the New Jerusalem.
Here Ezekiel is taken outside of the court of the Temple through the North GATE and is taken around and brought to the Gate facing the East, there he sees the Water that flowed out under the threshold of the temple coming out of the the right side of the East GATE. Ezekiel was not taken directly out through the East Gate because the East Gate is reserved for God. [Ezekiel 44:1-2] After which the angel takes Ezekiel through the water for nearly 4 thousand cubits [approx. 2.2 km] to the point the water has become so deep, Ezekiel could no longer walk but swim. Then the angel takes him to the bank of the river, “When I RETURNED, there, ALONG the bank of the RIVER, were very many TREES on one side and the other.” Ezekiel 47:7 So the picture here is that, Ezekiel is walking back along the River bank towards the East Gate and he sees trees on both sides of the River.
John describes to us the path of the RIVER in conjunction to the STREET. The Greek interlinear translation puts as, “In the middle of the street, of it and of the River on this side and on the other side was a tree of life.” That is to say, in the middle of the Street AND “of it” that is “the River” is a Tree of Life, on this side and the other side OF the River. We apply this translation using two points, first the description which Ezekiel gave saying, “along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other,” so we know it is the River that is flanked by Trees. Next Ezekiel described the River as coming out on the Right Side of the East Gate. And we know a path or STREET will always DIRECTLY lead to a Gate, therefore the street and the River must be parallel to each other. So as we have trees flanking the River, we have trees only on the Right side of the street, in the direction the River is flowing. The River Ezekiel is describing is the same River which John calls the River of Life, “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the RIVER go, will LIVE.” Ezek. 47:9 The point is to illustrate creation’s dependence on the supply of LIFE from God.
The Next point is that John is describing more than one tree, even though he is using a singular form. The fact that the Tree of Life is described as being “on this side” and “on that side” points to this fact. Therefore the use of the singular form is to refer to the TYPE of tree, that is the trees are composed of only the Tree of Life, which produces a variety of twelve fruits accordingly.
Now there are similarities between the description John gives here between the New Jerusalem and the New Earth and the description Ezekiel gives of the Temple of God and the land of Israel and the description Genesis gives of the Garden of Eden and the Uncorrupted Earth. All of which is GEARED to portray to us the necessity of God in sustaining life. Genesis tells us, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a GARDEN EASTWARD in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a RIVER WENT OUT out of EDEN to water the GARDEN, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” Genesis 2:7-10
The first thing we want to do is to draw similarities between the descriptions John and Ezekiel gave to the one recorded in Genesis. The point being, Eden was NOT just a garden, as with John’s New Jerusalem and Ezekiel’s Temple, Eden was a representation of a place that hosted the presence of God. The EASTWARD part of it we find the garden where Adam and Eve dwelt. Now a River went out from Eden to water the garden located in the East and this river continued to split into four rivers, the Pishon of Havilah, Gihon of Cush, Hiddekel [Tigris] of Assyria and the Euphrates to water all of God’s creation. Note: the Earth was one landmass, and was not yet split into islands and continents. “The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided.” Genesis 10:25 So we see this LIFE flowing from Eden according to the perfection of the original creation, from the Temple according to the establishment of the Law and finally from the Throne of God and the Lamb, according to the establishment of the New Creation: spirit-mankind.
In order for us to understand the presence of the River of Life in the New Earth and the presence of the Tree of Life located on its banks we need to examine the difference that exists between flesh-mankind and spirit-mankind. The Lord said, “Whoever may drink of the WATER that I will give him will never thirst, to the age. Instead, the WATER that I will give to him will become in him a SPRING of WATER, welling up into ETERNAL LIFE.” John 4:14 And the Lord again said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one believing in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Out of his belly will flow Rivers of Living Water.’” Now He said this concerning the Spirit, whom those having believed in Him were about to receive.” John 7:37-39 The Lord made it clear that spirit-mankind through Him has the Well of Life in them, and being the Temple of God it is from within us that the River flows out. [1 Cor. 3:16] This is a privilege ONLY those who are in Christ have, because they share in His Life, the Spirit of God. [Romans 8:9, 2 Cor. 5:17] However, it is not the same for flesh-mankind, whose BODY must be maintained by eating and drinking.
The VERY name of the River and of the Tree points to the FACT that they are necessary ASPECT to LIFE. John says, “A tree of life, producing TWELVE fruits, yielding its fruit according to each MONTH; and the LEAVES of the TREE are for the healing of the nations.” Ezekiel also gives a similar description saying, “Along the bank of the River, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their Water flows from the Sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” Ezekiel 47:12 The fact that the Tree produces twelve fruits according to each month signifies the need for flesh-mankind to continually partake of its fruit. In Ezekiel’s description a month signifies a lunar cycle. “Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons.” Ezekiel 46:3 So our expectation is that New Fruit signifies the regularity mankind is to come to worship before God and the Lamb. Isaiah also affirms this, describing the New Heaven and Earth as, “And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:23
Now when we study the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, we think if Adam had eaten of the Tree of Life, he would have LIVED forever, however since he chose to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil, he instead DIED. This is a wrong approach to take because we do not account for the purpose of the Tree of Life being in the Midst of the Garden in the first place. Adam was created to desire to eat, it is a natural aspect of his creation. “God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” Genesis 1:30 And the trees and herbs were themselves created to desire water, “a River went out of Eden to water the garden.” Genesis 2:10 So we see the necessity of food and water to sustain life. The fact that all of creation had this need is to establish our constant NEED of God, who is the source of ALL Life. So we assert Adam DID partake of the Tree of Life while he was in his initial INNOCENT state. We take this premise on the basis that we know Adam was NOT created to Die, therefore his initial state is ALREADY geared toward living forever, this required him to regularly partake of the Tree of Life.
This requires us to see death from a different perspective. God said to Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall NOT eat, for in the DAY that you EAT of it you shall surely DIE.” Genesis 2:17 So when Adam failed and ate from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, SIN entered into him now he was made subject to the JUDGEMENT of death [a Curse]. As a result God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, LEST he put out his hand and take ALSO of the TREE of LIFE, and EAT, and live forever” — therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the EAST of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the TREE of LIFE.” Genesis 3:22-24 This is the point where Adam’s body STARTED to DIE. The IMPORTANT point for us to see here is, Adam had the possibility to LIVE forever in his fallen state, which makes DEATH a result of NOT having ACCESS to the TREE of LIFE, not a condition of his spirit. That is, the body was condemned to come to the point where it could no longer function properly because it was not able to regularly partake of the FRUIT that gives it LIFE. So God put a Cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life, that Adam may not eat of it, while he is fallen. The Lord said, “The man shall live not by bread alone, but by every word coming out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 That is to say, it is not fruit alone but fruit infused with life from God.
This point can be proven in respect to creation that shares in the fate of mankind. Paul says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 Genesis described the whole land was watered from one source, the River that came out of Eden, but at the fall of Adam, even nature was cut off from this source. So we see the source of all these rivers is different, nature is made to be self-sustaining yet at the same time in the process of decay because it was cut off from the River of Life that comes from God. However when the Lord comes to rule on earth with His saints, then creation itself will be set free from the bondage of decay. Zechariah writes, “And in that day it shall be that LIVING WATERS shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the EASTERN SEA and half of them toward the WESTERN SEA; In both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King OVER ALL the EARTH. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.” Zechariah 14:8 The effect of this Living Water is, as Ezekiel says, “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the Rivers go, will LIVE.” Ezekiel 47:9
[Very Subjective] Normally the Eastern Sea is accepted to mean the Dead Sea, however we assert it is a reference to the Red Sea. The purpose is to show God having sovereignty over ALL the Earth, we determine this using Genesis as a template, where the River of Life splitting into four rivers watered the whole Earth! So the River of Life flows from Jerusalem splitting to Western Sea [Mediterranean] and the Eastern Sea [the Red Sea] bringing life to the ENTIRE WORLD. So to a world formed of a single LANDMASS the River of Life split into four rivers, but to a world of Divided Landmass the River of Life split into two to affect the great seas.
So in the description of John we see the Tree of Life is located OUTSIDE of New Jerusalem meaning it is there as food for flesh-mankind. That is in the absence of SIN, we see mankind in the flesh once again being given FREE access to the River of Life and the Tree of Life, that they may eat and drink in relationship with God and that they may LIVE forever. The fact the River and Tree of Life are described so near to New Jerusalem suggest it is to draw mankind toward God. Which is a practice exhibited in the Law whereby the children of Israel were required to present themselves before God 3 times a year. A practice that was kept in similar manner during the Millennium Reign of the Lord, which is a foreshadow of the kingdom of Heaven on the New Earth. [Zechariah 14:16]
Now on the New Earth, “death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain,” having said that the leaves of the Tree are described as being used for healing the nations, which some have translated as, “for the service of the nations.” [Subjective] Here we have used an explanation that is driven from the days of Eden. We know that Adam’s body started to break down from the day he no longer had access to the Tree of Life. So we may expect those who do not bring themselves to worship before God and the Lamb on the appointed times, will eventually suffer some consequences, their body will break down. The reasoning is that the leaves are used for such circumstances, as Adam and Eve used the leaves to cover themselves. So the Leaves of the Tree of Life are used to repair the consequence brought about through lack of fellowship with God. We assert this based on Isaiah, “And they [flesh] shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:24 The Fact there is a place in the New Earth where people go to see the end of those who transgressed against God serves as a reminder to flesh-mankind, likewise the effect on the body serves to draw flesh-mankind. As we have stated above, the River of Life and the Tree of Life are necessary to LIFE, it is in the NAME, so failure to partake must have a consequence on the BODY.
“And there will NOT be ANY CURSE any longer. And the THRONE of GOD and of the LAMB will be in it, and His SERVANTS will serve Him. And THEY will SEE His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will be NO NIGHT there, and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun, because the LORD GOD will enlighten upon them, and they will REIGN to the Ages of the Ages.” [vs. 3-5]
When John says, “there will not be any curse any longer,” the reference is to the New Earth, since there was never a curse in heaven. The first time curse was mentioned is the day Adam and Eve fail, when they ate from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. The result of which is that SIN and DEATH entered the world. [Romans 5:12] The point is that curse is a product of knowledge of Evil, it is a necessary ACTION taken to counter its effect. Proverbs says, “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight.” Proverb 26:2 That is a curse is without effect to one who has done nothing to deserve it. When Cain killed Abel, his brother, the words God spoke to him was, “Now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” Genesis 4:11 The Law of Moses is also described as, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue all things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them.” Deuteronomy 27:26
The curse that came to the present world can be described as, Sorrow of conception, Pain of bringing forth children, Toil of labour and eventual Death. [Genesis 3:16-19] It is on these concepts we can compare the New Earth to come, which John describes as, “God Himself will be with them as their God. And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and Death will be no more nor Mourning [sorrow] nor Crying nor Pain; they will be no more, because the FORMER things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4 The point being, the New Earth is of righteousness, Peter says, “But according to His promise, we are awaiting NEW heavens and a new earth, in which RIGHTEOUSNESS dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13 Therefore the effect of righteousness is there will be no curse. More so the effect of the New Earth is not determined according to flesh-mankind but of God and the Lamb, from whom the River of Life flows. Therefore the New Earth will never be subject to a curse, because the Throne of God and the Lamb is described as being in it, that is it us under God’s Dominion.
Now, in previous chapters we have encountered descriptions as, “The one overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall NOT go OUT anymore. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Rev. 3:12 Which was in reference to the Church of Philadelphia whose reward included being a permanent fixture in the Temple of God therefore the name written upon them included the name of the New Jerusalem. The other is in reference to the 144,000 firstfruits of God and the Lamb, “His name and the name of His Father having been written on their foreheads.” Rev. 14:1 And of these he says, they will always be with the Lamb. [vs. 4] The 144,000 are described as those who go wherever the Lamb goes, which includes coming back to the earth to reign for a 1000 years, so these are described with God’s and the Lamb’s name written upon them. Now, being with the Lamb is an aspect that is afforded to ALL, Paul says, “Then we, the living remaining, will be caught away together with them in the clouds for the meeting of the Lord in the air; and so we will be ALWAYS with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:17 So the difference between these two designations is the place of service.
Last of all we have here, John describing the servants of God as, “And they will see His FACE, and His name will be on their foreheads.” The MAJOR point being the distinct lack these have in bearing the name of the Lamb of God. Now, none of whom whose names are NOT found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can ENTER the New Jerusalem. [Rev. 21:27] That even the dead that died before the cross had to be preached to by the Lord before being raised to live in spirit according to God. [1 Peter 4:6] So every member of the New Jerusalem will have the name of God and the Lamb upon their foreheads, because they are made a New Creation in Christ. So this points to the fact that flesh-mankind are not made in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ who is spirit. “Now you are not in flesh but in Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you; but if anyone does NOT have the Spirit of Christ, he is NOT of Him.” Romans 8:9 [2 Cor. 5:16] So the conclusion is that flesh-mankind is established once more to the perfection of Adam before the fall. “For as indeed in Adam all die, so also in Christ ALL will be made ALIVE.” 1 Cor. 15:22
So since Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, flesh-mankind will bear His name. [Genesis 1:27] The Lord prayed, “I revealed Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They WERE Yours, and to Me You GAVE them, and they have kept Your word.” John 17:6 However, spirit-mankind will bear the name of God and Christ having been made into a New Creation, that is spirit. All of which was made possible through the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ who has put away SIN once and for all, “By Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] to reconcile all things to Himself [God the Father], having made peace by the blood of His cross through Him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.” Colossians 1:20
So flesh-mankind whose names are written in the BOOK of LIFE, will once more be called sons of God, as Adam was once and will bear the name of the Lord God upon their foreheads, and will dwell in the New Earth. Genesis records how the Lord God went into the Garden of Eden to fellowship with Adam and Eve, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Genesis 3:8 So as spirit-mankind will serve God in His Temple, the New Jerusalem, “They are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One sitting on the throne will tabernacle over them.” Rev. 7:15 Flesh-mankind will ALSO see the Face of God the Father and serve Him in tending the Garden, the New Earth.
When John wrote saying, “No one has EVER YET seen God. The only begotten God, the One being in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.” John 1:18 John was describing that God the Father, whom mankind has never seen, God the Word in the likeness of flesh has revealed Him. Which Paul attributed the work of ALL creation to the manifested expression of the Word, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, because in Him were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him.” Colossians 1:15-16 Later when Philip asked the Lord “show us the Father,” the Lord responded, “Am I with you so long a time, and you have not known Me, Philip? The one having seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?” John 14:9-10 The Lord explained in terms of Him being one with His Father, that He is the express image of His nature. [2 Cor. 4:4, Hebrew 1:3]
When Moses asked God to show him His Glory, God said, “You cannot see My FACE; for NO MAN shall see Me, and LIVE.” And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:20-23 The Lord also said, “For I say to you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the FACE of My Father, who is in the heavens.” Matthew 18:10 The point is there is the FACE of the Father of spirits, whom mankind has never seen, which at the end of the ages, flesh-mankind will be able to See His Face. [S.I.O] pointed out that the fact God showed His back to Moses was to show He is turning His back toward our sins. However since our sins are dealt with once and for all in the Lord Jesus Christ, mankind in the flesh will be able to see His face, and not die which is a big EVENT, reserved to the final chapter of the whole Bible.
The last statement John makes about those who dwell upon the New Earth differs from those of the New Jerusalem, “there will be no night there, and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun, because the Lord God will enlighten upon them.” Here John is speaking from the perspective of the natural order of things, light of the Sun to see in the day, or the lamp of fire to see by night. But to this he says, they have no need since God will be their LIGHT. Note: the life of flesh-mankind is sustained through the act of drinking from the River of Life and eating from the fruit of the Tree of Life, the body. However when describing New Jerusalem he said, “And the CITY has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they should shine in it; for the GLORY of God enlightened it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” That is the Light of the City is enlightened by the Glory of God, that is knowledge of Him. When God made His glory pass before Moses He did not just show Him His back, but declared to Him His nature at the same time. [Exodus 34:5-7] Glory is knowledge of God. And the Lamb is the one who brings us to the knowledge of the many facets of the Glory of God, which is Living Waters for spirit-mankind, “the Lamb in the centre of the throne will shepherd them, and He will lead them to fountains Living of Waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ Rev. 7:17 [Jeremiah 3:15, 2 Cor. 3:17-18]
The Term will Reign to the Ages of the Ages: Here we explain how flesh-mankind can be made to reign over the New Earth. The Lord said, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me. Therefore having gone, disciple all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” Matthew 28:18-19 [K.h] teaches that the Lord, having received dominion over the earth, immediately gave delegated authority to mankind in the flesh with the mandate to make disciples of the Earth. Daniel explains this as, “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be GIVEN to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall SERVE and OBEY Him.” Daniel 7:27 That is, it is those who are instructed in righteousness, and worship the Lord, knowing Him to be God, who receive authority over the Earth, but those who rebel will be cut off like “Gog.” Having said this, they do not bear the name of the Lamb simply because they are not of Him, that is they are not spirit as He is but are flesh, however this does not change the fact that they recognize and worship Him as God. “For all the nations will come and will worship before You, because Your righteous acts have been revealed.” Rev. 15:4 [Zech. 14:16, Micah 4:2]
God has reconciled the Earth to Himself through the blood of the Cross. [Col 1:20] So while the transgression of Adam was a cause by which the River of Life was cut off, it is the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh that ensures that the River of Life will flow eternally. The Lord said, “the bread that I will give for the LIFE of the WORLD is My flesh.” John 6:51 [John 3:16] So Christ on the throne is a constant Mediator for all TYPES of mankind in the supply of Grace, “water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,” before whom ALL creation worships. So while we in the spirit are made to reign with Him in ALL things having been made in His likeness, flesh-mankind is made to reign over the earth, that their body having been redeemed from death through Him.
The Final Warning.
“And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the PROPHETS, sent His angel to show His servants the things that must come to pass in quickness.” “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one keeping the words of the PROPHECY of this book.” [vs. 6-7]
God here identifies Himself as, “the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets.” This is a portrayal of the manner God has chosen to reveal Himself according to the working of His purpose. God in the past has revealed Himself as, “the Lord will provide,” when He provided Abraham with a substitute sacrifice and “I am the Lord who heals you,” when He healed the waters of Marah in the wilderness. [Genesis 22:14, Exodus 15:26] and many more. So in this case, as the “the God of the spirits of the prophets,” in revealing the things are to come to pass.
In John’s case, these revelations were given to him through the means of angels. The contrast is, Peter says of the old time prophets, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought out and searched out diligently, having prophesied of the grace toward you, inquiring into what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them was signifying, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glories after these.” 1 Peter 1:10-11 That is a prophecy is given as the Holy Spirit moves upon a person. [2 Peter 1:21] However, in John’s case as it was with Daniel, a physical presence of an angel was sent to make known to them the things that are to come to pass. [Daniel 10:14]
The term, “things that must come to pass in quickness,” is explained in the fist chapter of the study of the Book of Revelation. The basic concept being, to John is revealed the events that are going to take place in a short while. The qualification being, “Therefore write the things that you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to take place after these.” Rev. 1:19
[Subjective]: When John says, “Blessed is one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book,” it is to say one who values the things that are written in them and conducts himself accordingly. Paul from all the varieties of the ways that God works, specifically tells us “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test all things.” 1 Thess. 5:19-21 Prophecy is the working of God which is reserved for believers, [1 Cor. 14:22] meaning it requires a FAITH response, which is an aspect that is well pleasing to God. [Hebrew 11:6] More so the words of the Book of Revelation have aspects that accords to EVERY generation of Christians throughout the Ages, of which EACH can make a practical application. Peter speaking of the end to come said, “All these things being dissolved in this way, what kind ought you to be? In holy conduct and godliness, expecting and hastening the coming of the day of God,… Therefore, beloved, expecting these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and without blemish.” 2 Peter 3:11-12,14] That is the word of the prophecy of the Book of Revelation, should give us ground to expect and plan for things to come, grounds to shape our conduct which is evidence of our faith in the words of the prophecy. [Col 3:1-2]
“And I, John, am the one HEARING and SEEING these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to WORSHIP before the FEET of the ANGEL showing these things me. And he says to me, “SEE that you NOT DO THIS. I am your fellow SERVANT, and with your brothers the PROPHETS, and with those KEEPING the words of this BOOK. WORSHIP GOD!” [vs. 8-9]
We have encountered a similar incident in Revelation 19, where John fell to worship before the man who was showing things. The main point being the man who was showing John the things to come to pass was a person who like John holds the testimony of Jesus, that is to say he is a brother in the faith.
However here the angel identifies himself as “a fellow servant and with your brothers the prophets,” that is to say the service they rendered to mankind is of the same caliber as prophets. An angel was sent to announce the birth of Samson, the birth of John the Baptist and of our Lord Jesus Christ, all of which were an act of declaring prophecy. An angel was sent to Gideon to declare the prophetic victory God was going to give to Israel over the Midianites and many others. So the primary purpose of angels along with the prophets is to declare the will and purpose of God, that is to come pass on the Earth. And he also states the overall binding effect of the word of God written in a book on earth. David says in the Psalm, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His WORD.” Psalm 103:20 The Lord said, “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18 All of which is according to the will and purpose of God.
So the overall concept which GOD wants us to firmly GRASP is, NOT a man on EARTH NOR an angel IN HEAVEN is to be given worship, veneration or whatever kind of accolade. Which many denominations throughout the ages have been ensnared by.
“And he says to me, “Do not SEAL the words of the PROPHECY of this book; for the time is NEAR. The one being unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous, let him practise righteousness still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.” [vs. 10-11]
To SEAL a book of Prophecy is to render the content to be beyond understanding. Daniel was instructed by the angel saying, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and SEAL the book until the TIME of the END; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4 And when Daniel wanted to know what the end of the vision he saw, he was told, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are CLOSED UP and sealed TILL the TIME of the END. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and NONE of the wicked shall UNDERSTAND, but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:9-10 There are two concepts we need to take into consideration, the first is that the book of Daniel was sealed according to an Appointed Time and the second is the statement that has to do with UNDERSTANDING. Now, both Daniel and John make the same statement in regards to the righteous and the wicked, Yet Daniel was Sealed but John was Not.
Even though angels were sent to make Daniel understand the things that were shortly to take place after him, yet he was constrained from knowing the end of the matter according to an appointed time, that is, things that concern the closing of the Age of the Law. Paul in regards to the mystery of the Gospel of God said, “which, by reading, you are able to understand my INSIGHT into the mystery of Christ, which was NOT made KNOWN to the sons of men in OTHER generations as NOW it has been REVEALED in the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles are joint-heirs, and a joint-body, and joint-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.” Ephesians 3:4-6 That is the words which God spoke repeatedly by the prophets that the Messiah will be a light to the Gentiles was not understood NOT EVEN by the disciples of the Lord, who struggled to come to terms with it, until the time appointed had come.
The question is why was Daniel sealed? If Daniel was indeed sealed to the people surrounding the birth of the Lord, then it would have served no purpose. So the sealing of the book of Daniel must serve a greater purpose than a mere concealment from the understanding of mankind. The prophecies of Daniel all point to an EVENT that brings an END to the conflict that was in Heaven. Which can be summarised in this terms, the Messiah being cut off, leading to the Son of Man receiving dominion and glory and a kingdom, the resulting consequence of which was that the third of angels were cast out of heaven. [Daniel 7:13-14, 26-27; 8:10; 9:26-27] In this respect Paul says, “But we speak in a mystery, the wisdom of God having been hidden, which God foreordained before the ages for our glory, which NONE of the RULERS of this age has UNDERSTOOD. For if they had understood it, they would NOT have CRUCIFIED the Lord of glory.” 1 Cor. 2:7-8 That is if Satan and his cohorts had known what the cost of crucifying Christ was, going to be them they would have NEVER done it.
The evidence that speaks to the fact the book of Daniel was beginning to be unveiled is, the coming of wise men from the east, “Now Jesus having been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the One having been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2 This proclamation immediately prompted the devil to seek to destroy the children of Bethlehem. John describes this moment as, “And the dragon stands before the woman being about to bring forth, so that when she should bring forth, he might devour her Child.” Rev. 12:4 This was a moment the devil was waiting and watching for. Later, Luke writes, “And the people are expecting and all wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.” Luke 3:15 From ALL other generations this particular one had their sight set on seeing the Messiah. Expectations are formed according to our understanding of prophecies, so they by some measure have known the time period they were in, which was ONLY revealed in Daniel.
The clause that unseals the book of Daniel is, “the Time of the End.” This is not as we may expect to mean the End of ALL Ages, but according to the FINISHED work of Christ. The Angel tells John, “when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be FINISHED.” Daniel 12:7 That is everything that is told to Daniel will have their fulfilment, by this point bringing a NEW AGE, the Age of Grace. The Lord HIMSELF used the prophecies of Daniel to point to the moment that will bring an end to the Holy people in Matthew 24:15-22 which in itself is evidence that the book was unsealed. In contrast to the Book of Daniel, the Book of Revelation was NOT SEALED, the main point being as far as Heaven was concerned the war was ALREADY won on the CROSS, the Lord had finished His work and sat upon the throne of His Father having received the dominion and glory and kingdom promised in Daniel 7:14. [Rev. 12:7-10] So there is no purpose in SEALING the events that are to unfold in our Age or the Age to come.
Now, if the Time of the End was referring to the FINISHED work of the Lord Jesus Christ then when John is told “Do not SEAL the words of the PROPHECY of this book; for the time is NEAR,” must refer to the event that follows which is the coming of the kingdom of God. The Lord came proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn NEAR!” Matthew 4:17 And when the Pharisees asked Him when that was going to be, He responded with, “The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation, nor will they say, ‘Behold here,’ or ‘There.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20-21 [Subjective]: When saying Near it is describing the present and coming fulfilment. The Lord has received dominion, glory and kingdom but Paul says, He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. [1 Cor. 15:24-24] Describing the time that is between Revelation 12:10 & Revelation 11:15.
Having said this, the end of the Age of the Law [Daniel] and the end of the Age of Grace [John] are both marked by the same principle of FAITH response, “let the righteous be righteous still and let the wicked be wicked still.” Now, we are ALL born sinners, so if only the righteous remain righteous still and the wicked remain wicked still, then NO ONE will be saved, but that is not the point they were making. Daniel clarifies that by saying, “NONE of the wicked shall UNDERSTAND, but the wise shall UNDERSTAND,” that is to say our understanding determines what we are. The Lord said, “Everyone hearing the word of the kingdom and NOT understanding, the evil one comes and snatches away that having been sown in his heart… But the one having been sown on the good soil, this is the one hearing the word and understanding, who indeed brings forth fruit and produces—indeed, some a hundredfold, and some sixty, and some thirty.” Matthew 13:19,23
The Lord said to His disciples, “Because it has been granted to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will be in abundance. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” Matthew 13:11-12 That is those who have, are the SAME as those who do not seem to have, the difference between the two is their response of faith. [Eph. 2:8-9] And the Lord quoted Isaiah saying “In HEARING you will hear and NEVER understand; and in SEEING you will see and NEVER perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull, and they barely hear with the ears, and they have closed their eyes, LEST ever they should SEE with the eyes, and they should HEAR with the ears, and they should UNDERSTAND with the HEART, and should TURN, and I will heal them.” Isaiah 6:9-10 That is the Lord is making a CONTRAST between two means of understanding, one that is of worldly wisdom and the other which is of faith response. In this respect Paul says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those indeed perishing, but to us being saved it is the power of God. For it has been written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; and the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 1 Cor. 1:18-19 The secret to the Kingdom of God is that one must first be willing to understand by Faith.
When the Lord spoke the various parables to the people His disciples were JUST as STUMPED as those who heard Him preach. YET they were granted the ability to understand the parables based on one simple fact: they have accepted the Lord as the Messiah. Paul teaching on this says, “Whenever one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 So, because of their faith response toward Him, the Lord took time to unveil the secret of His teaching to them while the rest were not able to perceive.
There is a point worth considering, if indeed the book of Revelation was not sealed why did we throughout the Ages struggled to make sense of it? NOT SEALED means there was NEVER an appointed time given for the truth contained in the book to come forth. So the principle that governs our understanding of Revelation is, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2 Paul says, “What no eye has seen, and no ear has heard, and has not entered into heart of man, what God has prepared for those loving Him.” For God has revealed it to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” 1 Cor. 2:9-10 That is the Spirit of God is given to us, that He might teach and guide us into all truths. So our APPROACH determines our understanding, we at times have sought to understand this Book through the bias of our own generation or even the doctrines of our particular denomination all of which serves to cloud the truth. This is evident in our interpretation of Ezekiel 38, despite the text being plain we insist to see it through the perceptions of the events that surround us and miss the point.
“Behold, I am coming QUICKLY, and My REWARD is with Me, to give to EACH as is his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” [vs. 12-13]
From the days John wrote the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s statement has been the same, “I am coming QUICKLY,” and it has been 2000 years since then. In this regard Peter observes how some may choose to mock, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For from the time that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” And he answers that with, “But beloved, do not let this one thing be hidden from you, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay the promise, as some esteem slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:4,8-9 This is not to point to the fact that God has a different perspective on time than us, since the Lord is speaking to us and for two to be in agreement we must have a shared concept. [B.j] teaching on prophetic time quotes Habakkuk “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will NOT tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3 The main point being the time is SET, though you might think it is delayed it is NOT, so be patient, it will come at the appointed TIME. The purpose of the statement being to elicit the manner of our posture.
So here the main point the Lord wants to convey to us is the SUDDENNESS of His coming. The Lord said, “And concerning that day or hour NO ONE KNOWS, not even the angels in heaven, NOR the SON, but only the Father. Take heed; watch; for you DO NOT KNOW when the time is. It is like a man going on a journey, having left his house, and having given his servants authority, to each one his work. And he commanded the doorkeeper that he should keep watch. Therefore watch—for you do not know when the master of the house comes: either at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or morning— lest having come SUDDENLY, he should find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:32-37 The Lord Himself said, no one knows when that day is, NOT even Himself yet He also says, “I am coming quickly.” So the point is every generation is to LIVE as though they are the LAST, it is this knowledge that shapes our conduct, that separates the blessed servant from the evil one. [Matthew 24:46-51] Meaning, one who has set his eyes on the earthly pursuits “to eat and be drunk,” or one that has set his heart on the heavenly works, “to feed others in the appointed time.” [D.k] answering if we are living in the last days said, “whether it is now or later FOR YOU the days you are living in are your LAST.”
The early church are our example, though they were the first, they conducted themselves as though they were the last. “Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, whereby we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18 [Romans 13:12] Therefore the purpose of the statement is for us to live having set our minds on heavenly things. And if we do, we will INVEST much more in heavenly pursuits than we do for the earthly. [Col. 3:1-3] And this to be TRUE for every generation of Christians.
The fact the Lord is coming SUDDENLY is connected to the reward He gives to each. Paul tells us the perspective we should have on the sudden appearance of the Lord, “For you yourselves fully know that the day of the Lord comes in this manner, as a thief by night. For when they might say, “Peace and security,” then suddenly destruction comes upon them, as the labour pains to her having in womb; and they shall not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you like a thief.” 1 Thess. 5:2-4 His point being the coming of the Lord should not be a shock to the one who is waiting and watching, because he lives his life ready for that moment. So the term REWARD can be used to apply to both the righteous and the wicked. Isaiah says, “Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the REWARD of his hands shall be given him. Isaiah 3:11 [Psalm 91:8] Now, even though the reward of the righteous and the day of judgement of the wicked are set at vastly different times, yet the Lord is referring to both events. As Paul described the coming righteous judgement of God as, “Who [God] “will give to each according to his works,” to those who indeed with endurance in good work are seeking glory and honour and immortality, eternal life; but to those of self-interest and disobeying the truth, but being persuaded about unrighteousness, wrath and anger.” Romans 2:5-8 and also in Rev. 11:18. So the reward of the Lord, to give to each one according to his work relates to the previous verse, “let the righteous be righteous and the wicked be wicked.”
Next point is, the Lord TRIPLE affirms who He is. The main point being God is conveying to us He is the Absolute, the One and there are NONE others like Him. Isaiah says, “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may KNOW and believe Me, and understand that I am He. BEFORE Me there was no God formed, NOR shall there be AFTER Me.” Isaiah 43:10 So God is conveying to us His absolute UNIQUENESS, that He is Thrice Holy. [J.p]
Now there is a [Subjective] application we can make here, that the term, “Alpha and Omega” can be described as an expression for the Word God, from which everything is created, “MATTER.” [Hebrews 11:3] The term, “The First and Last” can be used to describe His ETERNAL state, “TIME.” Last of all, the term “The Beginning and the End,” can be used to describe His vast presence to occupy all of “SPACE.” Paul also describes Him in a similar manner, “In Him were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all THINGS have been created through Him and unto Him. And He is BEFORE all things, and IN HIM all things hold together.” Col. 1:16-17 Paul first addresses that all CREATION was made by Him, “matter,” then he addresses His eternal state that He is from Everlasting, “time,” then he says EVERYTHING is in HIM, “space.” [Psalm 139:7-8]
“Blessed are those WASHING their ROBES, that their right will be to the TREE of LIFE, AND they shall enter into the CITY by the GATES. OUTSIDE are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone loving and practising falsehood. [vs. 14-15]
The statement the Lord makes here is directed at the people of the Age of Grace. The term to “wash their robes,” apply only to those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The Elder described the bride of Christ as, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation, and they have WASHED their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14 Through which their names having been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life have access to enter the CITY by the GATES. [Rev. 21:27] Now, the question is how do we apply the term having RIGHT to the Tree of Life, knowing the Lord is specifically addressing spirit-mankind, especially in comparison to those who are in the flesh? The Lord said to the church in Ephesus, “To the one overcoming, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7 This Tree is located in the Paradise of God, which is in Heaven, the New Jerusalem.
The [subjective] answer we have come upon is, found by comparing the Lord’s statement to that of the church of Sardis, “The one overcoming thus will be clothed in White Garments. And I will never blot out his name from the BOOK of LIFE.” Rev. 3:5 Here we see the Lord clearly addressing those of the Age of Grace but referring to them as those written in the Book of Life. In the judgement for the Second death, in respect to flesh-mankind we find many books were opened, one of which was the Book of Life. This is resolved when we consider the statement, “The one overcoming will inherit ALL things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” Rev. 21:7 All things is a reference to things in heaven and things on earth, which is a privilege that is afforded only to those who share in the Life of the Lamb, and to sit upon His throne with HIM. So while we can expect spirit-mankind to be registered in both the Book of Life as well as the Lamb’s Book of Life, the flesh-mankind of this Age are only found in the Book of Life. The Effect of which is that flesh-mankind will inherit the New Earth, while spirit-mankind will inherit both the New Earth and New Jerusalem, the right to the Tree of Life AND to enter the city Gates. Consider: If White Garment is equal to Robes washed THEN Tree of Life is to the Book of Life.[??]
The eternal life of spirit-mankind does not start in heaven but on the present earth. [John 5:24] The Lord said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one believing in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38-39 The distinguishing feature of which is that we share in the Lamb’s Life being one spirit with Him. [Romans 8:9, Col. 3:4] That is while spirit-mankind can take part of the Tree of Life and the Spring of the Water of Life their life is already FOREVER linked with the Lord. However flesh-mankind will come to this privilege having passed through the judgement of Second Death, to enter into the New Earth and eat of the Tree of Life. The main point being the effect, Adam ate from the Tree of Life and drank from the River of life this affected his NATURAL BODY. We by faith eat from the Bread of Life and Drink from the River of Life and in our case the effect is spiritual. [1 Timothy 4:6-9]
So the Lord is addressing OUR Age, the Age that receives the Lord by FAITH, to have ALL their SINS forgiven CONTRASTED against those of the same time period yet have rejected the Lord. And for our AGE there are ONLY two choices, we either enter the City by the precious blood of the Lamb or we are left OUTSIDE to face judgement for our sins. NOTE: The OUTSIDE is not in terms of the New Earth, but of the present therefore the outside is a reference to being relegated to darkness, that is a place reserved for judgement. The Lord described those who miss out entering the kingdom of heaven as, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12 And again in the parable of the king who made a wedding feast for his son, the person who did not have the RIGHT Garment, that is a robe washed by the blood of the Lamb was cast OUTSIDE. [Matthew 22:13]
Now there is a point worth considering in regards to those of the present Age that overlap with the generation of the Age to come that is flesh-mankind of the Millennium Reign of the Lord. For this we can use Israel in the wilderness as an example. When Israel failed to go into the promised land rebelling against God’s command, the Lord said, “Truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly SHALL NOT SEE the land of which I swore to their fathers, NOR shall any of those who REJECTED Me see it….The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. EXCEPT for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. [Numbers 14:21-23, 29-31]
The main point we are taking from this is that, the older generation that rebelled represent those of the present Age of Grace, who having rejected the LORD Jesus Christ, yet have come through the tribulation of the last days. These are the ones that are represented by “Shimei” in the previous chapter, who cursed king David yet was allowed to remain for a while under king Solomon. So while these are able to provide the seed for the generation that will be considered for the New Earth, they themselves will be cut off. Isaiah describing this period said, “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the CHILD shall die one hundred years old, but the SINNER being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” Isaiah 65:20 Here Isaiah compares two generations, a child to an old sinner. The point is that even though a sinner has entered the land and time of righteousness, he/she will not be able escape their fate. While the children born to that generation will be assessed on their own merits of righteousness, in order to enter the New Earth. Note: the exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah and Joshua son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim, the two tribes under which the WHOLE of Israel is identified. They represent the children of Israel who come through this period, having resisted the Antichrist and the false prophet, these will be granted the right to life.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to ALL of you these things in the churches. I am the ROOT and the OFFSPRING of David, the bright morning star.” And the SPIRIT and the BRIDE say, “Come!” And the one HEARING, let him say, “Come!” And the one THIRSTING let him come; the one DESIRING , let him take FREELY the WATER of LIFE. [vs. 16-17]
Angel sent to Testify to ALL: The Lord makes it known that this book of prophecy was delivered by an ANGEL. In this chapter we have touched very briefly that Prophecy can be described as “men spoke from God, being carried by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21 And also when men wrote the things they witnessed shown to them by angels, like that of Daniel to which category we can also add John. We can ask, why did the Lord not simply reveal it by the Holy Spirit? [Subjective] This in part explains the position to which mankind is elevated to in Christ Jesus, though He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, but we see Him crowned with glory and honour and all authority. [Hebrews 2:8-9]
The Root and the Offspring: this is the answer to the question, “And the Pharisees having been assembled together, Jesus questioned them, saying, “What do you think concerning the Christ? Of whom is He son?” They say to Him, “Of David.” He says to them, “How then does David in spirit call Him Lord, saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I place Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”’ If therefore David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?” Matthew 22:41-45 That is to say as the Root the Lord is from everlasting the creator God and as the offspring He is the Son of Man, according to the flesh being a descendant of David. [Acts 2:29-30; 13:23, Romans 9:5] The prophet Micah encapsulate this concept as, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2 Describing His origin from the Bethlehem of Judah the city and tribe of king David, contrasted against His everlasting origin as God, Root and Offspring.
Bright Morning Star: [D.p] teaches that the Morning Star is a bright star that goes moments before the rising of the Sun. The concept being it is a prelude to a big event that is to follow. We can say, John the Baptist was a morning star to the Sun of Righteousness that was to come after him. [Malachi 4:2] So the Lord here refers to Himself as the bright Morning Star in terms of the kingdom He will hand to His Father in the Last days. That is the 1000 years reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on Earth is a foreshadow of the kingdom that is to follow in the New Earth, when the New Jerusalem the throne of God comes down to the New Earth, God making His dwelling among mankind. [1 Cor. 15:24]
In this respect in the reward of the the Church of Thyatira, the Lord bundles these two concepts together saying, “The one overcoming and keeping My works until the end, I will give to him AUTHORITY over the NATIONS, and he will shepherd them with a ROD of IRON, as the vessels of the potter are broken in pieces—JUST AS I also have RECEIVED from MY FATHER.” Here the Lord associates His rule on earth during the Millennium reign with the authority He gives to those who overcome, and He follows that with “And I will give to him the MORNING STAR.” Revelation 2:26-27,28 The Morning star associated with those who will rule with Him during His Millennium reign. Simply put they will take part with HIM, in foreshadowing the Kingdom of God that is to come upon the New Earth.
The Spirit and the Bride: The best way to perceive this concept is from the point of view of the Story of Abraham, his long time servant, Isaac his son and Rebekah Isaac’s wife told in Genesis 24. In Chapter 19, in the description of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb we have pointed out this from the teachings of [J.p] The point being, the Main Purpose of the Holy Spirit presence on the Earth is to gather the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church. So here in the Revelation, we see the Holy Spirit calling out for the Lord Jesus Christ to come, and also the bride calling out from the Lord Jesus Christ to come. Which we can perceive from the point of view of the oneness of the bride with the Spirit. The life of God in mankind, “Spirit of God.” [Romans 8:9]
Paul also described this longing for departure from the perspective of the Church and the Holy Spirit in his writing of 2 Thess. In Revelation 13 we gave an explanation from the teachings [C.c] in reference to Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians chapter 2, where verses 1-4 are attributed to the departure of the Church and verses 5-7 are attributed to the departure of the Holy Spirit. “Now we implore you, brothers, by the COMING of our Lord Jesus Christ and our GATHERING together UNTO Him, for you not quickly to be shaken in mind, nor to be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as if by us, as that day of the Lord is present. No one should deceive you in any way, because it is NOT until the APOSTASY shall have come first, and the man of lawlessness shall have been revealed—the son of destruction.” He points out “apostasy” simply means “to depart,” and the context being the church’s departure NOT the departure from the faith as 1 Timothy 4:1 speaks off. The second portion refers to the Holy Spirit, “And now you know that which is restraining for his being revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is working already; there is only the ONE at present restraining it, until HE might be GONE out of the MIDST.” That is the Holy Spirit is the one who at the moment is holding lawlessness at bay, however when He is taken up at the Lord’s return with the Church then the lawlessness one will be revealed. So the main point is the Spirit and the bride are of one mind, looking for the return of the Lord.
Why did John separate the one hearing from the bride? The one hearing, is one who has believed therefore is part of the body. So, the point is that the Church as a collective let them all say “Come,” that is “the bride.” At the same time he is also pointing at the individual hearing this word and let him also say “Come.”
Thirsting & Desiring: There is a point worth considering in respect to what it means to thirst for righteousness from the teaching [S.I.O]. [Matthew 5:6] We thirst for something for which we know we are deficient. When we have no water we thirst to have it, so when we thirst for righteousness it is in recognition of how far we ourselves have fallen short, it is KNOWING our failure form the Divine standard that makes us THIRST. However, when we are satisfied in our own works and have elevated ourselves in our own eyes, comparing ourselves with others then we do not thirst for righteousness, because we are self satisfied and are deceived. In the gospel of John, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone THIRST, let him come to Me and drink. The one believing in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 The point being, the one who is tired and heavy laden, one who is broken down let them come to the Lord and hear, of the rest He will give to such souls. So sinners knowing themselves heard the Lord gladly, but the Pharisees and Sadducees did not because they were righteous in their own eyes.
Isaiah describes this process as, “Ho! Everyone who THIRSTS, come to the WATERS; And you WHO have NO MONEY, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk WITHOUT MONEY and WITHOUT PRICE. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. INCLINE your EAR, and COME to ME. HEAR, and your SOUL shall LIVE; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.” Isaiah 55:1-3 Here Isaiah associates the process of drinking to an act of hearing. That is, the Thirst for eternal life is remedied by FREELY hearing the word of Life given by God, of the eternal covenant of SURE MERCY of God. Freely means, No works of our own for which we expect to receive wages, or offering up payment for our sins, which Isaiah described as money. [Romans 4:4-6] Grace CANNOT be BOUGHT or EARNED. A person who has no money, is the one who has NOTHING to OFFER to God, but comes to FREELY receive from HIM.
[Subjective]: John puts the process of thirsting and desiring separately. Paul writes, “to those who indeed with endurance in good work are seeking glory and honour and immortality, eternal life;” Romans 2:7 The difference being those who thirst know how far short they have fallen, but there are others also who have recognised their need of the Lord, and have come to Him desiring to obtain eternal life. We can attribute Nicodemus to this group, who belonged to the priesthood having the same mindset as them yet recognising his need he came to the Lord to enquire about how to obtain that life. [John 3]
“I TESTIFY to everyone HEARING the words of the PROPHECY of this book: If anyone should ADD to these THINGS, God will add unto him the PLAGUES having been written in THIS book. And if anyone should TAKE AWAY from the WORDS of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his PART from the TREE of LIFE, and out of the HOLY CITY, of THOSE having been WRITTEN in this book. The One testifying these things says, “Yes, I am COMING QUICKLY.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The GRACE of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” [vs. 18-21]
The Warning: The Book of Revelation is written to the church, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to ALL of you these things in the churches.” [vs. 16] These are the Last verses of the Entire Revealed Word of God, and it is ground for us to take heed of. The Law and the Prophets ended with these words, “Remember the LAW of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and Judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, LEST I come and strike the earth with a CURSE.” Malachi 4:4-6 It is the WARNING aspect we want to draw parallel with, and how those who heard these words but failed to grasp their importance ended up perishing.
Now, the churches consist of a variety of members at different stages, from the strictness of Ephesus to the lax of Laodiceans. Nonetheless all were charged with the same warning that the devastation breaking this command will bring upon anyone. This is not restricted to the members of the church but to ANYONE with the purpose of heart has sought to corrupt the words contained in this Book. This should give a moment of pause for the People’s Party of China who have taken it upon themselves to coerce the words of the New Testament in a bid to mislead the people and hinder the growth of the church. They in ignorance are making themselves subject to the full extent of the curse that is pronounced here.
The main point being how God holds the words of the Book of Revelation to a very high standard, NOT that we in anyway diminish the word of the Lord given to us through the Gospels and the many epistles of the apostles of the Lord, since ALL Scripture is God breathed. [2 Timothy 3:16-17] And the stern words of the Apostle Paul against those who seek to corrupt the purity of the Gospel portrays that, “But even if we or an angel out of heaven should preach a gospel to you contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let him be ACCURSED! As we have said before, even now I say again: If anyone is preaching a gospel to you contrary to what you received, let him be ACCURSED!” Galatians 1:8-9 Nevertheless the information contained within this Book of Prophecy is the SUM of ALL concepts that are taught in the entire Bible. [D.p] would say it is the SPINE of the body. Therefore the corruption of which means the corruption of the GOSPEL Message and the FINAL SAFEGUARD which God through the example of the Seven churches has instituted TO BE for the churches of ALL Generations. It is a book given to sound warnings, as the sounding of Trumpets. [Ezekiel 3:17-21]
So the next question is, What scenario will give a person an opportunity to ADD or TAKE AWAY from the book of this prophecy? For this we used the word of the Lord as a basis for comparison, the Lord said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfil. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth shall pass away, not even one iota, nor one stroke of a letter, shall pass away from the law, until everything should happen. WHOEVER then shall BREAK one of the LEAST of these commandments and shall TEACH OTHERS the same, he will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever shall keep and shall teach them, he will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.” Matthew 5:17-19 Now it is not in regards to mistaken interpretations or misunderstanding of the Book of Prophecy but the ACT of deliberately adding to the Words of prophecy or deliberately Taking away form the words of prophecy with the SOLE intention to misrepresent the contents of the Book. As examples we have the words of the Lord in Luke 12:45-46, the warning of Paul in 2 Cor. 11:15, the words of Peter in 2 Peter 2:13-14 and the rebuke of the Lord to the Star of Sardis in Rev. 3:2-5 conveying to us how seriously the Lord takes those who misrepresent Him.
To ADD: Proverbs says, “Every word of God is PURE; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6 The plagues of the book of Revelation are categorised under, war, famine [lack], plague [sickness] and death. [Rev. 6:4-8; 9:18; 11:6; 16:1-10] The main point for us to bear in mind is there are only two places in the New Testament where a curse is explicitly pronounced upon anyone living, that is in Galatians 1:8 and the verses listed here. There is judgement in regards to those who will be repaid according to their works, but the Lord here is explicitly pronouncing a curse upon anyone who corrupts the words of His prophecy.
[Subjective]: the consequence of adding requires the one who is to suffer its consequences must remain alive for a time. In Acts 13:6-11, we have the sorcerer who opposed the words of Paul to mislead the pro-counsel from coming to faith, and he was made blind for a time. But this is not to say Adding is a lesser offence than taking away, since one of the plagues of this book is to die by death which is a reference to a soul that is lost. [John 5:24]
To TAKE AWAY: his part from the Tree of Life and out of the Holy City. [Subjective]: This statement portrays the far reaching aspect of this curse, meaning the warning applies to both flesh-mankind and spirit-mankind. The Tree of life is synonymous with the Book of Life, to take away his part from the Tree of Life, means to BLOT OUT his name from the Book of Life. [Rev. 3:5] And out of the Holy City, is a portrayal that NONE are exempt from this curse, even those who have attained to be spirit-mankind, since only those who bear the name of the Lord to be included in the Lamb’s Book of Life are permitted to enter the New Jerusalem. [Rev. 21:27] Therefore, if their part is taken from the City to come, then it is possible for one who has attained to spirit life to lose it, the Lord Himself TESTIFIES to this. [Hebrews 6:4-8] However we need to bear in mind the deliberate action taken by one who seeks to transgress this command. Nevertheless, the main point of these two statements is to convey to the one who hears, not in any way to diminish or misrepresent the words of the prophecy of this book.
On a HAPPIER NOTE, the contrast to all this is that those who hear and keep the words of this prophecy are Greatly Blessed, which ought to give us more incentive to declare the wisdom contained within this Book as often AS we possibly can, which is diverse and far reaching, NOT the DOOM and GLOOM of an END which it is commonly portrayed as.
Now, when the Lord said, “Yes, I am coming quickly,” the Spirit and the bride responded, “Come, Lord Jesus!” In the Jewish tradition when a son of a house takes a bride, the bride waits for her husband to be in her fathers house, while the son waits for the command form his father to tell him when it will be time for him to go collect his bride. So the idea is they are both in a state of READINESS, only the father of the bridegroom knows when that moment is. [Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32] The point is even before the signs of the turmoil on the earth, nations rising against nations, of plagues, famines, earthquakes and the roaring of the waves of the seas the frequency of which speaks directly to our generation the Lord statement has ALWAYS been “Yes, I am coming quickly.” As explained above SINCE even the Son the Lord Jesus Christ does not know when the exact date is, He in this statement is conveying to us the SUDDENNESS of His coming, so He [the Bridegroom] like us [the bride] is awaiting for the day of His return at His Father’s Word.
The Final IMPORTANT point is that the CLOSING of the Book of the Lord is on these words, “The GRACE of the LORD JESUS be with ALL the SAINTS.” Now this might seem like a standard blessing, but it is more than that it is the foundation of our faith. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the DOWRY of the bride, it is the GLORY of her jewellery, and the COVENANT of her Marriage.
AMEN!
Bread Bait. 
Leave a comment