To completely cover all the lessons we can gain from the Book of Revelation would be almost like doing the study over again so in this appendix I have chosen a few of the key lessons that I believe are important for us today.
Rev 1:3 The
Three Way Blessing.
Three Way Blessing.
1) “blessed is the one who reads this book aloud.”
Blessed is the one who reads this book of Revelation, privately, in his home or family; is the one who reads carefully and diligently, with a true desire for understanding.
Blessed is the one who reads publicly in the church and who endeavours to open and explain it to others; and who gives meaning to this book by the reading and study of the law and the prophets. This second meaning seems to be a better sense of this phrase, since there is a change of number in the next phrase. “He who reads…. They who hear.” Clearly this is a teaching situation.
2) “Blessed are those who hear it.”
Blessed are they that listen attentively to the reading and exposition of this book and have ears to hear, so they can understand the prophecies contained within it.
Some early versions differ to most modern versions and read the numbers in this verse differently; “blessed is he that readeth, and he that heareth,” as in the Valgate Latin and Ethiopic versions or “blessed are they that readeth, and they that heareth,” as in the Arabic version. Either way the final message or meaning does not really change.
3) “Blessed are those who heed it.”
Now we come to the most important part. Blessed are those who not only read or hear, but put into practice what they read and hear; for there are some things in this book that are of a practical nature, especially in the letters to the seven churches.
The Lesson:- The lesson for us is that this book, and for that matter all of God’s word, is written to be shared and to read out to others. It is to be heard but even more than this, it is to be obeyed.
The Humanity and Compassion of Jesus.
“I fell at His feet as a dead man.”
John also showed great fear when he came face to face with the Lord but notice the rest of verse 17. Jesus places His right hand upon John and offers him comfort. Here we can see the human side, the compassionate side of Jesus. To comfort a loved one it is common to place your arm around them or make some other form of physical contact and then offer them gentle words of comfort. Here Jesus does the same.
This should not be a surprise for us because Jesus knows what it is like to live on the earth with a human body. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of living in a physical form in a physical world. He has done that and lived in a human form for some 33 years.
The Lesson:- We must always keep in mind that Jesus can understand how we feel and He is there to comfort us when we need Him. We only have to ask and He is there, always He is there.
Chapters Two and Chapter Three.
Lessons from the seven letters.
Notice the difference in Christs’ message to each of the seven churches. They were seven different churches and what can be clearly seen is that they had seven different spiritual conditions. Where one church was weak another was strong. Where one church faced struggles in one area another struggled in a different area.
In most cases He had both positive and negative points to make about each church. For the church at Smyrna Philadelphia Sardis Laodicea
The one common theme through all of these letters was the persecution and tribulation about to be faced by all of these seven churches. This is the link that ties these letters together and to the rest of Revelation that carries this persecution, and the overthrowing of those who caused this persecution as its central theme.
The letters to the seven churches are of great importance as examples and lessons for us today.
1) I know your deeds. Christ knows what we are facing daily. He knows our strengths and weakness; when we succeed and when we fail; when we are faithful and when we are not. In chapter one the vision of Christ walking among the seven churches is a very good example of how well Christ knows our churches and knows us today too.
2) Each church was found in a different spiritual condition. This is true of us today as well. We will all be found in different spiritual conditions; some will be weak while others will be strong.
3) Each church faced different daily struggles. It is the same for us too. It sometimes seems as if some people lead lives of bless while others have every possible thing go wrong for them.
4) These struggles are part of the growing process for each church and for every Christian. Through the daily struggles we face and overcome successfully we grow as Christians, becoming more confident and mature.
5) We must be aware of false teachers and teachings that lead us away from Christ. Words that sound good can prove to be false so as Rev 2:2 says, we need to test those who wish to teach us and check that their words are true.
See also II Cor 11:13; Acts 20:29-30.
6) We must be aware of becoming complacent in our Christianity. Sometimes, as we ‘know’ we are saved, we tend to let our prayer and bible study slip. Without realising it we can very easily lose our faith.
7) We must be aware of the dangers of becoming too arrogant and proud. The idea here is the thought, ‘I’m a Christian, and I’m saved so I’m better than you.’ This is a totally wrong and dangerous attitude to have. The church at Laodicea
See also II Peter 2:18.
8) Every Christian who overcomes and keeps their faith will be rewarded for their efforts. Christ at the end of each of His letters made this point very clear; in fact this is one of the central themes of the whole Revelation message.
See also Rev 14:14-20; Rev 21 & 22.
9) We can have confidence in the fact that what ever happens to us we know Christ is with us and He will never let us down.
See also The Great Commission – Matt 28:18-20.
One key lesson that we can gain from these two chapters is in worshipping God.
Rev 4:8-9 The Four Living Creatures.
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty;
who was and who is and who is to come.”
God is glorified as being holy, omnipotent and eternal. After their example He is glorified by holy men (Rev 4:9) in actions and signs () and by speech. The first part of their song of worship is confirming God as being Holy. The second part of their song uses a phrase that we have already seen in Rev 1:4 and Rev 1:8. In chapter one God uses this phrase to describe and identify Himself. Here the living creatures use it to show God as being eternal.
Rev 4:10-11 The 24 Elders Join in.
The example of the 4 living creatures is taken up by the 24 elders. In their part of this song three signs of honour and glory are given to God.
1) They prostrate or fall down before Him.
2) They worshipped Him.
3) They cast their crowns before Him.
These elders, who have been made kings to reign with Christ, are willing to empty themselves of all self-glory before the majesty of God.
“Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for God didst create all things and because of thy will they existed and were created.”
The sum of their speech is that all glory must be given to God because he is the eternal beginning of all things. It is only through the will of God that all things, including the elders themselves, were created so therefore only God is worthy enough to receive the glory, honour and power due to Him.
Rev 5:8-14 A New Song.
The old song was that of Rev 4:8 & 11. The new song is a song of redemption.
Rev 5:8-10 This caused a general joy among all kinds of creatures. First among the four living creatures and four and twenty elders, who are described as having harps and golden vials (bowls) of incense. The harp was for praise, and the incense was for prayer. They fell down in a worshipping posture before the Lamb, and sung a new song of redeeming love to Him.
In their song they attribute the worthiness of Jesus Christ, to come forward, take the book and open its seals. They declare their redemption purchased from God, by His blood, out of all nations of the earth. They acknowledge the honour done them by Jesus Christ, in making them kings and priests of God; and express their assurance that they shall reign with Him on earth.
-12 Next an innumerable company of angels join the living creatures and elders, in a doxology, an ascription of glory to Jesus Christ.
-14 Finally, “every creature in heaven and earth, upon it, and under it, and in the sea,” are introduced as giving glory both to Him that sat upon the throne, and to the Lamb.
The whole song is closed by the living creatures saying “Amen,” and by the elders prostrating themselves, and worshipping the living and eternal God.
The Lesson:- But worship was the deepest need of the seven churches and worship is the deepest need we have today. It is only through the worship of God that true Christianity can find fulfilment.
Rev 6:9-11 The Fifth Seal – The Souls Under the Altar.
The fact that the souls cried out to God shows that they were awake and not asleep. They knew what was going on around them. This shows us that the soul does not lay with the body in the grave, but instead is still very much alive, waiting until everything is finished.
See Appendix H – Death, Resurrection and Eternity.
There is an interesting lesson for us here. Although persecutors may put Christians to death thinking they have annihilated them and removed any influence they might have, we can see that this is clearly not the case.
First, by killing a Christian all that is killed is the physical body. The soul remains alive, unable to be touched by any worldly persecutors.
Secondly, by killing a Christian their influence has not been removed, rather it has been increased. As a martyr they are now examples of faith for their fellow Christians. Also as this passage has shown us Christians who have been killed for their faith do have contact with God and so have some influence with God.
The Lesson:- Three points we need to remember from the ‘Souls Under the Altar’.
1) The souls were awake and aware of what was happening around them.
2) The souls were able to call out to God.
3) God Heard and answered the soul’s calling.
Rev 7:1-17 The Sealing and the Great Multitude.
After the sixth seal the question was asked “What about the Saints?” This chapter has been an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals in which this question has been answered. Here is a summary of this interlude.
1) The winds of destruction were held back so the sealing could be done.
2) We saw 144,000 being sealed. The number rather than being an exact number stands for protection or completeness. The number is the total number of the redeemed, the total number of those chosen by God.
3) After the tribulation we saw another great multitude now in fellowship with God and Jesus. This group is the same group as we saw above but now they are in Heaven.
Notice that this interlude has been laid out in two sections and we can consider it to be like a before and after photograph of the same group.
Some writers explain the two visions we have seen in this interlude as being Jewish believers for the 144,000 and Gentile believers for the great multitude. They put up the passage in Eph which talks of “breaking down the dividing barrier” between Jew and Gentile.
My problem with this view concerns the explanation given to John by the elder. The elder talks of them having “no more hunger or thirsting” and “God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.” These two phases, as well as the Lamb being their shepherd relate closely to Rev 21:1-7 and to Rev 22:1-5 in which we see God with His people in the New Jerusalem.
So the easiest way to explain these two visions is to see them as the same people. In the 144,000 they are still on earth having just been sealed to save them from God’s Judgement. In the second vision they are seen as a great multitude in heaven with God and the Lamb (Christ).
The Lesson:- Hope is given to Christians that they will be protected from God’s judgement upon the world. Although many of them will suffer, in the end they will be saved because they wear the seal of God upon their foreheads.
Rev 8:3-5 Offering at the Altar – Intercession.
1) The Altar.
This is not the altar of burnt offerings as seen in chapter six because there is no need for animal sacrifices. This is the altar of incense, the same altar we see in Lev ; Num .
2) Offering of Incense.
The adding of incense to the prayers of the saints is intercession. This doesn’t take the place of prayers but rather wraps the prayers in a sweet smelling aroma to make them more acceptable to God.
This is known as intercession where someone intercedes on your behalf.
3) Examples of Intercession.
a) Intercession of Christ.
“He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Heb 7:25
b) Intercession of the Holy Spirit.
“..…but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words… He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Rom 8:26-27
c) Intercession of other Christians.
“….I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men.”
1 Tim 2:1-2
As these scripture show Jesus and the Holy Spirit can intercede on our behalf. This is why we always address God through Jesus Christ by finishing our prayers with something like ‘in the name of Jesus.’
The third scripture from 1st Timothy is different in the fact that although other Christians can intercede on our behalf they still must address their prayers to God through Jesus Christ.
4) Answer to the Prayers.
“coals from the altar thrown to the earth”
“thunder, lightning and earthquakes.”
Ezek 10:2 This happened just before God’s judgement on Jerusalem
5) This section relates to Rev 6:9-11
Rev 6:9-11 The saints are told to wait a little longer.
Rev 8:3-4 The saints prayers go up to God with incense.
Rev 8:5 The prayers are heard and answered.
The Lesson:- God’s will can be influenced by intercession. Christ, The Holy Spirit or Christians can ask God to intervene on their or somebody else’s behalf.
Chapter Nine.
Chapter Nine.
Rev 8:1-2 Opening the Seventh Seal
1) Silence.
a) Perhaps this was to make what follows more impressive, sort of like a drum roll before a daring act at the circus.
b) Perhaps it was to allow time for the prayers to be heard. See below in v 3-5.
c) The going forth of the Lord is often preceded with silence.
Zeph 1:7; Zech 2:13.
d) Silence before the Lord.
Hab 2:20; Ps 46:10.
2) Seven angels are given seven trumpets.
Seven angels were called before God. They were each given a trumpet and they stood ready to sound them.
Notice the time and place where the seven trumpets appeared. We have seen the first six seals in chapter six and now in the verse above the seventh seal has been opened. So we must consider what follows now to be a part of or inside the seventh seal.
“Seven angels” - messengers prepared to do the will of God.
“Seven trumpets” - instruments of alarm, and indications of approaching wars and desolations.
Family New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
Lessons from the Plagues (The seven trumpets).
1) God is still in control. Although Satan is very much involved in the terrible work that we see being done here, it has been made very clear to us that Satan’s power was limited.
For example:- Job 1:6-12 Satan had to ask God before he could touch Job.
2) Even after all these terrible plagues still men wouldn’t repent. There are some people who no matter what happens to them will never turn to God.
For example:- Ex ; Ex 16:2-7 The people of Israel Egypt
On the road to Damascus
“to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to god, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18
See Notes in Appendix I, Chapter Sixteen.
1) The seven peals of thunder.
a) “when he cried out the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.”
The seven peals of thunder came from the strong angel.
b) John was forbidden to write down what the seven peals of thunder had spoken.
i) Perhaps this revelation was only meant for John.
ii) Perhaps no man was able to understand this thunder.
See II Cor 12:4
iii) God chose not to tell us.
Deut 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.”
iv) Just as there are seven churches, seven seals and seven trumpets, here there are seven peals of thunder.
v) Thunder is used by God in other parts of the book of Revelation as a warning of Divine Judgement. Rev 8:5;
The significance of the seven thunders may forever remain an enigma.Summers believes that John was forbidden to record their utterances because there would be delay no longer and the time for warning was over. Hailey suggests that it may indicate that God has many unrevealed weapons in His arsenal of judgments to be used at His discretion and that man cannot know all of God's ways.
Revelation Notes by Mark Copeland, pg44.
Rev 10:8-11 The Little Book.
1) Commanded to take the book.
a) Voice from Heaven.
Matt “a voice out of heaven”
This is the same voice as in Rev 10:4
b) “Go take the book which is open in the hands of the angel.”
This is the same angel that stood with one foot on the land and one foot in the sea. See Rev 10:1-3.
2) Told to eat the book.
There is a similar passage to this in Ezek 2:8 – Ezek 3:6.
The idea here is that John is to thoroughly make the contents of this book a part of his life. We might say that John was required to consume or digest the book.
3) Both bitter and sweet.
a) “Sweet in the mouth” – God’s word is sweet.
God’s word tastes good when we study it.
b) “bitter in the stomach.” – but the message is bitter.
When we must teach it and apply it into our own lives it becomes bitter.
The Lessons:-
1) God has chosen to reveal to us many things about Himself and His nature but here is an example of something he has chosen not to reveal to us. We can not know everything there is about God.
2) God’s word is good ‘sweet’ when we study and hear it, but it is harder ‘bitter’ when it comes to applying what we have learnt to our lives.
Rev 11:1-2 The Measuring of the Temple
John is asked to take up a measuring rod and measure the temple.
He measured three things.
a) “The Temple
i) 1 Cor 3:16-17 “…you are a temple of God
ii) 11 Cor “For we are the temple of the living God.”
iii) Eph 2:19-22 “… the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord;…”
b) “The Altar”
The worship and the service of the church.
c) “Those who worship in it”
Ezek 34:17, 20, 31 The members of the church.
But he was told not to measure
“the court which is outside the temple”
This is part of the church but they have been already judged. The idea here is that parts of the church will fall away but the true heart of the church (the temple) will remain firm forever.
The temple and altar therefore, with their attendant worshippers, represent "the Israel
Family New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
The Lesson:- Not all of those who are in the church will be saved. Not all of those who call themselves Christians actually wear His seal upon their foreheads. We must make sure that we are not just in the court outside the temple but also in the temple itself.
Rev 11:3-13 The Two Witnesses.
The vision of the two witnesses, which falls into three sections. With power they prophesy
1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. Identified as the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the throne of God, they have the power to devour with fire from their mouths those who wish to harm them. They also have power to stop the rain during the days of their prophesying, to turn water to blood, and to strike the earth with plagues (Rev 6:3-6). But when their testimony is completed, the beast from the bottomless pit makes war with
them and kills them. For three and half days their bodies’ lay in the street of the great city that is spiritually called However, after three and a half days they are raised to life and ascend into heaven,
bringing great fear on those who saw them. In the same hour a great earthquake occurs in which a tenth of the city fell and 7000 men were killed. The rest who saw this were afraid and gave glory to God (-13).
The Lesson:- All preaching and teaching by the church will be apposed by Satan. He does not want anyone to be saved so those who preach Christ’s salvation will be apposed and face persecution. In the end they will receive their reward and the world, which apposed them, will be avenged by Christ.
Rev 11:3-13 & Rev 12:1-17. The Gospel and God’s Work cannot be Stopped.
The Two Witnesses. Rev 11:3-13.
a) There will be a strong witness of the Gospel.
b) Followed by a period of distress and persecution.
c) But the Gospel will prevail in the end.
The visions of chapter twelve can be divided into three parts:-
a) Delivering the Child.
b) The War in Heaven.
c) The War on Earth.
The major theme behind these three pictures is God overcoming Satan through His son Jesus Christ. We saw Satan’s last great desperate attempt to prevent Jesus from carrying out His part of God’s great plan for the redemption of mankind. The dragon failing to capture the woman’s child was Satan failing to stop Christ from making His one time sacrifice for the sins of all men.
The next image showed us a war in heaven between the forces of God lead by Michael and the forces of evil lead by Satan himself. We cannot be sure when this battle took place although there is a strong argument for the period just after Jesus returned to His father in Heaven. We can not be sure what this battle was like but we do know that it changed the relationship Satan had with God in that Satan was cast out of Heaven and no longer able to have direct access with God.
In our third picture we see the dragon Satan has been cast out of heaven and his powers have been limited. In his rage at not being able to touch God or Christ, the dragon turns his attention upon the church. Again he is unsuccessful as God foils his plans so finally Satan turns his attention upon individual members of the church.
The Lesson:- God cannot be stopped when He proposes to do something. No one, even one as powerful as Satan, is able to divert God from His path.
“And he stood on the sand of the seashore….” Rev 13:1
The ‘he’ here refers to the Great Red Dragon (Satan) who we saw in Chapter Twelve attempting to prevent God’s plan of salvation. From the very beginning Satan has been working against God’s plans for the benefit of mankind.
The Lesson:- Satan is alive and at work in the world of mankind. He is the one behind the evil, suffering and pain that we see in the world around us.
Hope and Encouragement. Rev 13:9-10
These two verses do not fit in with either the preceding verses concerning the Sea Beast or the next few verses concerning the Earth Beast. Therefore we must consider them as an extra section like we did with the interludes earlier in our study.
Verse nine has a call for us to pay extra attention to what is about to be said in verse ten. There is also a very clear connection to the letters to the seven churches in chapters two and three.
The Lesson:- How we live our lives will be how we receive our reward. If we lead a sinful life our reward will be death but for those who lead a life of patience and faith their reward will be life.
The Relationship Between Faith and Works.
Notice the last part of this verse says, “their labours and works will follow them.”
This is another insight into the relationship between faith and works. Their works will not go before them to prepare a place for them in heaven, neither will their works go with them as pleas for their admission into the glory of heaven but rather their works will follow them.
This verse goes along with the verse in Romans that says, “a man is justified by faith apart from works….” Rom 3:27-28. See also Eph 2:8-10.
Justification and righteousness are inseparably united in Scripture by the fact that the same word (dikaios, "righteous"; dikaioo, "to justify") is used for both.
The believing sinner is justified because Christ, who borne the sinner’s sins on the cross. Rom Tit 3:4,5 Justification originates in grace through the redemptive and propitiatory work of Christ. Justification is by faith, not works Rom 3:27-30. The righteous person who believes on the name of Jesus Christ will be saved. Rom 8:31-34 It is if the Judge Himself declares, “The justified believer who is before the court, has no charges against him. All cases against this condemned man has been dropped, you are free to go.” When we stand before the judgement seat, Christ Jesus, the judge Himself, will intercede on our behalf. Not because of the great works we have done but because of whom we believe in.
The Lesson:- We are saved by faith in God, not the works of our own hands. It is only through the grace of God that we can make it into heaven.
Mans Hardness Towards God.
In our study of Revelation we have found many images that have parallels in other parts of the Bible. In the case of the seven bowls of wrath there is a very close connection with the seven trumpets of chapters eight and nine, and with the plagues of Eyypt.
(See Appendix B – Summary of the Plagues.)
The First Bowl – Poured upon the Earth.
The First Trumpet – Land Disaster Rev 8:7.
The Second Bowl – Poured upon the sea.
The Second Trumpet – Maritime Disaster. Rev 8:8-9.
The Third Bowl – Poured upon the rivers and springs.
The Third Trumpet – Freshwater Disaster. Rev 8:10-11.
The Fourth Bowl – Poured upon the sun.
The Fourth Trumpet – Disaster in the sky or heavens. .
The Fifth Bowl – Poured upon the throne of the beast and his kingdom.
The Fifth Trumpet – Complete collapse due to Internal Decay. Rev 9:1-11.
The Sixth Bowl – Poured upon the Euphrates River
The Sixth Trumpet – Destruction by Invading Armies.
(from across the Euphrates ) Rev 9:13-21.
The Seventh Bowl – Poured upon the air.
The Seventh Trumpet – Final judgement on Rome
It is easy to observe that there is in many of these vials an allusion to the plagues of Egypt; in the first, Rev 16:2 to the plague of boils, Ex 9:8,11 in the second and third, Rev 16:3,4 to that of turning the waters of Egypt into blood, Ex 7:19-21 in the fourth, Rev 16:10 to the darkness that was over all the land of Egypt, Ex 10:21,23 and in the fifth there is a manifest reference to the frogs that distressed the Egyptians, Ex 8:5,6 and in the seventh, to the plague of hail, Ex 9:23-26 and they have much the same effect, even the hardening of those on whom they fall, being far from being brought to repentance by them, Rev 16:9,11 and this confirms the application of the vials to the destruction of Rome, which is spiritually called Egypt, Rev 11:8.
John Gills Expositor. – Online Bible
The Lesson:-
There is an interesting question concerning God’s judgement and the seven bowls of wrath. Notice that the reaction of those of the beast was similar to that of Pharaoh during the plagues of Egypt
In the case of Rome Egypt Sodom Gomorrah
The Book of Daniel.
The close connection between the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel is an interesting side study. The Great Statue of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s vision of the four beasts both revealed a series of four great empires. These are explained in greater detail in Appendix E. Both visions tell us that the four empires will make war against God’s people both will be overthrown.
Daniel told the king that his statue was in fact four kingdoms.
The Head – 1st Kingdom – Babylon
The Breast & Arms – 2nd Kingdom – Mede-Persian. (See Dan 5:26-28)
The Belly & Thighs – 3rd Kingdom – Greece
Legs & feet – 4th Kingdom – Rome
The King is told that his Kingdom is the first of a series of four great kingdoms. During the time of the fourth kingdom God will set up another kingdom, the stone that will stand forever and never be destroyed.
In Daniel’s vision of the four beasts. Dan 7:23-25.
The 1st beast Babylon
The 2nd beast Mede-Persian.
The 3rd beast Greece
The 4th beast Rome
Then the Ancient of Days will bring His judgement upon Rome
The Lesson:- God is in control and working with nations, kings, and other events within the affairs of mankind to achieve His own ends. Centuries before Daniel predicted that God would overthrow Rome
Rev 18:4-5 Call to Leave the City.
a) Another voice.
b) Call for the people to come out.
c) The Reason:- “for her sins have piled up as high as heaven , and God has remembered her iniquities.”
Jer 51:6-9, 45; Jer 50:8; Is 48:20. 2 Cor -18.
d) Who are the people called?
i) The people of God, the saints. “My people”
ii) A last call to the wicked to repent.
iii) 2 Cor “Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord.”
This is not the only time that God saves the righteous people of a city or nation before He destroys it. See the destruction of Sodom Gomorrah Lot and his family before He destroys the cities.
Here we have the strongest argument for the Great Harlot being Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem Rome Jerusalem
The Lessons:-
God is concerned for the righteous and He will make prevision to save them.
Why did Rome
1) Reason for the Fall.
Again we are given the same reasons why God has brought judgement upon Rome
a) Sorcery by which the nations were deceived.
b) The blood
i) Of the saints.
ii) Of the prophets
iii) All who have been slain on the earth.
2) So finally we see that the great city has fallen. Why has it taken Revelation so long to build up to this point?
a) To add greater effect to the fall.
b) To present a chance for sinners to repent.
c) To make very clear to the readers the lesson that:-
“God is in control and He will do everything in His own way and in His own time.”
1) Rev 19:1-6 Rejoicing & Praises.
a) Hallelujah. Rev 19:1, 3, 4, 6.
Note that this is the only place in the Old and New Testaments where the word ‘hallelujah’ is used.
Halal – to praise.
Yah – God (The Lord.)
The full meaning – ‘Praise the Lord.’
Ps 104:35; Ps 105:45; Ps 106:1 & 48; Ps 113:1,9.
Notice that in the examples from the book of Psalms the term is usually translated as “praise the Lord” rather than the word “hallelujah” as used in the Book of Revelation.
“Alleluia” An Hebrew word, which signifies "praise ye the Lord". The Jews say, that the book of Psalms consists of ten sorts of songs, but Hallelujah is the greatest of them, because it comprehends the name (Jehovah) and praise in one word: and it is observable that this word, which is often used in the Psalms, is first used when the Psalmist desires the utter consumption and destruction of sinners and wicked men on earth, and is here taken up by the saints at the destruction of the man of sin and son of perdition; see Ps 104:35.
John Gill’s Expositor – Online Bible.
b) Three things belonging to God.
i) Salvation.
This refers not only to the salvation of the saints but also to the accomplishment of God’s purpose.
ii) Glory.
This is the renown and honour that is justly due to God.
iii) Power.
Christ is Lord overall, he has control over all and power over all things.
Some versions also add the word ‘honour’ to this list between ‘glory’ and ‘power.’
The Lesson:-
Our worship to God should be filled with rejoicing and praises.
The Binding of Satan.
In chapter 12 saw that when Satan failed in his attempt to defeat Christ he turned upon those who follow Christ. First he tried to destroy the church, when he was prevented from doing this he finally turned upon individual Christians.
What does the binding mean?
The purpose of this binding of Satan is to restrict his movement and activities. In Rev 13:7 we saw that the sea-beast was given the power to make war against the saints. This power came from Satan. Well now that power is going to be restricted or limited.
In Rev 19:1-21 we saw the beginning of this limiting as one by one his helpers were stripped away from him. Now we see Satan standing alone as the angel binds him and restricts his influence upon the world.
With this power taken away Satan can no longer make worldwide persecution against the church but instead is limited in what he can do.
Satan’s release is predicted.
Here is the warning that Satan is not finished yet. After the thousand years is completed he will be released and he will return to deceive the nations again.
The binding of Satan is limited in two ways.
First Satan is limited in what he is able to do and where he is able to go. God now has control over him. We must still realise that even in this restricted condition Satan is still a very real and very dangerous enemy. He is still more than capable of winning our souls from us, sentencing us to join him eternality in the lake of fire.
Secondly, this binding is limited in its duration. Satan is only bound during the thousand year reign then as we will see later in this chapter he will be released to again make total war against God’s people.
The Lesson:- The binding of Satan in chapter 20 shows us once again that God has limited Satan’s powers so that he is unable to make all-out war against the church, instead only limited to making war against individual members.
The Final Judgement. Rev 20:11-15
1) Who sits on the Throne?
We are not told here but other parts of God’s Word can help us establish whom this is.
11 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Rom “For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of God.”
John “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgement to the Son.”
Matt 25:31-46 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, …….then He will sit on His glorious throne.”
2) The Second Resurrection.
a) All the dead take part in this resurrection. This resurrection refers to everyone from all of history, from both the Old and New Testaments.
– “The Sea gave up its dead. Death and Hades also gave up their dead.” Again we see evidence of the total coverage of this resurrection.
b) Whether great or small or for that matter we can add whether they are righteous or unrighteous. As we saw above no one but those who reigned with Christ will be excluded.
c) They will all be brought before the Great White Throne of Christ.
3) The Judgement.
a) “The books were opened”
Dan “…..the court sat, and the books were opened.”
John 12:48-50 “the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
We will be judged by the words of Christ.
b) “another book was opened, which is the ‘book of life’”
The book of life is the book we are added to when we are saved and become Christians. Whether there is a real list of each and every person who has been saved or whether this book is a symbolic way of describing the number of the saved I am unsure. The scriptures below add weight to the idea of God keeping a great list or register of those whom are included among the saved.
Acts “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
We are added to the book of life at the point at which we are saved, the moment of baptism. But our name being found in the book of life does not necessarily mean that it will always stay there.
Ps 69:28 “May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous.”
Those who stray from the truth and join the ranks of the unrighteous will of course not be saved and just as their names were added their names can also be removed from the book of life.
Rev 3-20:15 “if anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
When we stand before the throne of judgement only those who are found in the book of life will be saved and will receive the gift of the New Jerusalem.
c) “and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”
In Matt 25:31-46 Jesus lays this out very clearly. Jesus sees our deeds towards our fellow men as being deeds towards Him. If we fail those around us in providing help when they are in need we fail Jesus. In Matt 25 he makes it very clear if we do not stand by Him in our walk upon the earth He will not stand by us when we come to enter heaven.
“And whosoever was not found written...was cast into the lake of fire.” Into the same lake of fire, that prison house to which have gone the false prophet and the beast, to which has been consigned the dragon, "that old serpent the devil" Rev 12:9 20:2, the "eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" Matt 25:41. There shall also be banished those whose "names are not written in the book of life" Rev 13:8 17:8.
Peoples New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
The Lesson:- Another appointment that no one will miss is judgement. All of us will stand before the throne of Christ, the books will be opened and our lives examined. Then we will either join those on the left, sent to eternal destruction, or those on the right, sent to eternal life.
The River Of Life
The River of Life
Rev 22:1 “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
Gen “Now a river flowed out of Eden
The first place we see the River of Life
Ezek 47:1-12 The river flowed from the sanctuary and everywhere it went it brought life.
John 4:1-26 The Samarian woman who Jesus met at the well. See verse 10. “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give me a drink,” you would ask Him and He would have given you living water.”
John 7:37-39 Jesus said “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
Jesus talked about living water that gave life so men would never be thirsty. Here He was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit that flowed out from God to bring true life to everyman He touched.
Rev 21:6 “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
The living water is promised to all those who seek it. It is life-giving water that gives life and gives it eternally. This is the river that flows through this wonderful city. The River of Life
“water of life” Infinitely superior to the typical waters in the first Paradise Gen 2:10-14; and even superior to those figurative ones in the millennial Jerusalem Ezek 47:1,12; Zech 14:8, as the matured fruit is superior to the flower. The millennial waters represent full Gospel grace; these waters of New Jerusalem represent Gospel glory perfected. Their continuous flow from God, the Fountain of life, symbolizes the uninterrupted continuance of life derived by the saints, ever fresh, from Him: life in fullness of joy, as well as perpetual vitality. Like pure crystal, it is free from every taint: compare Rev 4:6, "before the throne a sea of glass, like crystal."
Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary.
“as clear as crystal”
This reminds us of the clearest mountain stream. A stream so pure and clean that the it’s water takes on the appearance of crystal. The source of this water is the throne, not just the throne of God, but the one he shares with The Lamb.
The Tree of Life.
Rev 22:2 “In the middle of the street and on either side of the river, was the tree of life.”
Be careful how we view the beginning of this verse. The phrase “in the midst of its street,” refers to the river mentioned in the previous verse rather than the tree of life. In there is only one street mentioned within this city and it appears that a river that flowing from the throne of God divides this street. On either side of this river are the trees of life. It is hard to know whether there is one tree on either side or a row of trees on either side of the river.
Gen “lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever.”
“the tree of life...yielding its fruit every month.” The thought is that it is always fruitful, not limited to certain seasons of fruit bearing.
Peoples New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
There are two ideas as to the meaning of “12 kinds of fruit.” First there is the idea that the Tree of Life produced a different fruit for every month. Although on trees as we know them it is impossible to get 12 different kinds of fruit, with God anything is possible. The second idea comes out of the following phase “yielding its fruit each month.” Again with ordinary trees this is impossible but of course we are dealing with no ordinary tree here. The meaning here is that the fruit is continually available and the supply of this life giving fruit never runs out.
Here is yet another Revelation idea that comes from Genesis. The eating from the tree of life means that a person will live forever.
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing,” The leaves of this tree were not for the healing of diseases as we are considering a city where disease and death has been banished. The purpose of these leaves is for spiritual healing.
We cannot fail to notice the connection between The Garden of Eden and this city the New Jerusalem. There was "a river that went out of Eden Eden
See An Introduction – Revelation and Genesis.
The Lesson:-
The river and the tree are symbols of the life bestowed by the grace of God. The river flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. The river flows from the fountain where eternal life and immortality comes from. The tree yields its fruit at all times, so that the supply fruit or should we say eternal life, never fails. Everything about the tree is healthful. Even the leaves are for the healing of the nations so sin does not return to mankind.
There is a Book of Life, a River of Life
Here is an important lesson for us; the key to eternal life is Christ. It is His blood that saves us and it is His power and on going grace that continues to save us. We must realise that we are dependent on Christ for everything. Just as the song says ‘Without Him we would be nothing,’ and we would be facing a terrible eternity without God.
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