The Great Prostitute and the Beast

^NT  6/25/21  Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, ² with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” ³ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. ⁵ And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” ⁶ And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.^[a] When I saw her, I marveled greatly. ⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. ⁸ The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit^[b] and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. ⁹ This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; ¹⁰ they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. ¹¹ As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. ¹² And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. ¹³ These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”¹⁵ And the angel^[c] said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. ¹⁶ And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, ¹⁷ for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”(Revelation 17:1-18) ESV

*This angel said, “Come hither, I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore.” But now he backs up, explaining who the Whore is and the Beast and all the things they’re going to do, and he doesn’t really get around to the final judgment of the great Whore until the 18th chapter. She’s finally destroyed in one hour of one day by burning with fire.

Who is this great Whore, mystery Babylon? Materialism, the worship of mammon. She is the religion of the world, the antitype of the good woman in chapter 12, representing the church or all born-again, saved Christians. She is the antitype, therefore, of the bride of Christ. This whore is the bride of the Beast and the Devil. So you have two contrasting characterizations here, and each is a symbol. These are not actual literal things, but they were pictures that God was drawing for John, illustrations of the real thing, and how these things look to Him.

“With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Revelation 17:2). The kings and inhabitants of the earth are all drunk with her fornication. When the Lord uses the word “fornication” here, He usually means being in love with some other god than Him, which is spiritual fornication of the worst kind. It’s being in love with the world and what it contains instead of with Him. The kings and the wicked of this world are married to this whore of wealth, possessions, money and things—materialism. They love it and they literally love her by loving it.

She’s like the goddess of all that’s evil, the goddess of things. Another name for that god used in the Bible by Jesus was mammon. He uses it as a significant term that they were familiar with, because that was the ancient god of wealth and money and possessions. This woman is a symbol of all false religion of all ages, including the biggest one of all, materialism.

The good woman of Revelation 12, the church, typifies all genuine Christians, whatever their denominational name or group name or sect. As long as they’re genuine children of God, saved, born-again Christians, they are a part of that woman in the 12th chapter, the true church, the good woman, the bride of Christ.

This Whore symbolizes everything else the people love and commit adultery and fornication with. You didn’t know you could commit adultery and fornication with money, with temples, with possessions? Some people love their cars more than their wives. Some women love their homes more than their husbands. It’s all fornication as far as God’s concerned, and He symbolizes it by this foul Whore, an evil woman. Although she’s worshipped and made rich and famous and even rides on the back of the Beast and governs what the Beast does and tells the governments what to do, she’s the foulest, most filthy, miserable system in the whole world, and that’s all false religion, no matter what name you give it.

“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3). This is the same Beast in the 13th chapter, and the Beast has existed since the beginning of time, and she’s been riding it since the beginning as well. She represents the false bride, an antitype of the good woman, the bride of Christ and the church.

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:4–5).

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration” (Revelation 17:6). He is marveling, astonished, awestruck with the horror of this monstrous woman who is drunk with the blood of the saints. The false church, the false woman, the materialistic religion of this world, always persecutes the true woman, the true saints, the true church. You can always tell the difference between the two. Whichever government you catch persecuting the true saints of God is a part of the governments whom she’s riding and controlling. She urges the governments to kill the saints, jail them, and persecute them. She is the one that controls the governments of the world and tells them what to do, and she tells that Beast to devour the saints.

“And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition” (Revelation 17:7–8). The beast he is seeing is the beast, in a sense, of all ages. And this evil whore he’s seeing is the false religion of all ages. Yet God in His revelation is leading up here to the very end, to the final Antichrist system led by the final Antichrist man and his final Antichrist religion.

*(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

^NT  6/24/21 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

² And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. ³ And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!^[a]
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

⁵ After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent^[b] of witness in heaven was opened, ⁶ and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. ⁷ And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, ⁸ and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

² So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel in charge of the waters^[a] say,

“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
⁶ For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”

⁷ And I heard the altar saying,

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments!”

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed^[b] the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. ¹⁵ (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) ¹⁶ And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.(Revelation 15-16) ESV

*So comes the Wrath of God, and in the 15th chapter we’ve got a description of the angels of wrath. Then in the 16th chapter they begin to pour out the wrath. Armageddon is part of the Wrath of God as well.

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13). Here are the spirits of false prophecies. “For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Or Ar-megiddo, the height of Megiddo in the Valley of Megiddo (Revelation 16:14–16).

“The number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand”—that’s 200 million all together (Revelation 9:16). This means that army from the East is going to be some army! It sounds like all of the East is rising up against the Antichrist, and they’re going to be one of the major opponents in this big battle.

These unclean spirits, false prophets, sound like false propaganda. Satan wants them to destroy each other, to destroy the earth. These devils are deceiving them all, summoning them together to fight this great battle to try to destroy the earth, to try to destroy mankind in one last great battle. The Antichrist thinks he’s going to win, his opponents at least try to win, but they’re all being deceived by the Devil to come and fight a big battle. They think they’re just fighting each other—all these rebels against the Antichrist fighting him, and the Antichrist fighting all these rebels—but Jesus and His followers come down to wipe out the Antichrist and his forces.

After this, that’s really the end: “There came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (Revelation 16:17). This is the end of man’s day on earth, because God takes over. “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great” (v. 18). The last thing God does is shake up the whole world!

“And the great city was divided into three parts.” Exactly what “three parts” means, we don’t know yet. But we’ll know when it happens because we’ll be there. “And the cities of the nations fell” (Revelation 16:19). God’s going to destroy the cities.

“Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (Revelation 16:20). Even some of the mountains are going to be trimmed down in that great earthquake! “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent” (Revelation 16:21). A talent weighs about 104 pounds. The Battle of Armageddon ends with a bang, the biggest bang this world ever heard! You talk about atomic bombs, they never had anything on this. Even an atomic war will not be as bad as the Battle of Armageddon, when the whole world shakes and the mountains and the cities fall, and God levels the whole works.
*(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

The Messages of the Three Angels

 ^NT  6/23/21 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. ⁷ And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion^[a] of her sexual immorality.”

⁹ And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

¹² Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.^[b]

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia. (Revelation14:9-20) ESV

*In the 14th chapter, we find that Babylon is destroyed just before the coming of Christ. The angel first flies with the everlasting gospel to the whole world; the gospel is preached in every nation, which Jesus says is a sign of the end. “Then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14, 6–7). Some preachers have theorized that maybe that means via radio, but it says an angel, so I’m going to believe it’s an angel.

Then in verse 8 we have the news that Babylon is fallen, and after that we’ve got the great reaping, the great reaper. Here in the 14th chapter we’ve got the gospel going to the whole world and we’ve got the fall of Babylon, and that certainly comes at the end of the Tribulation. You’ve then got the Rapture. The Rapture is the first reaping. But there’s another reaping after that, the Wrath of God.

He talks about the grapes of wrath: “And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God”
(Revelation 14:18–19).
*(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

The First Beast

 ^NT  6/22/21 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. ² And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. ⁴ And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”⁵ And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,^[a] that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.^[b] And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸ and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

¹⁰ If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

¹¹ Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,^[c] and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. ¹³ It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, ¹⁴ and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of^[d] the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. ¹⁶ Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,^[e] to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷ so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸ This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13)

  *Revelation 13: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast”—or a monster—“rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon”—that great red dragon, Satan, that we saw in the last chapter (part 13 of this series)—“gave him his power and his seat and great authority.” The Devil himself possesses this monster, this beast, this Antichrist man.

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon”—the Devil—“which gave power unto the beast”—the Antichrist—“and they worshipped the beast”—the Antichrist—“saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1–4). Apparently he is very powerful at this time.

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.”  He’s a great propagandist; he uses the media. “ And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” There again we have the three and a half years of Tribulation. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Only those who have his mark. “If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” Meaning Satan and the Antichrist. “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:5–10). Where? Knowing they’re going to be avenged against this enemy.

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” This is the false prophet, the false Christ, the false messiah. Not the Lamb of God but the wolf in sheep’s clothing. “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast”—this monster “whose deadly wound was healed.” (The false prophet represents the Antichrist like the Holy Spirit represents Christ.)

“And he”—this false prophet, this false lamb—“doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” This beast, this Antichrist is going to be like a resurrected man.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak”—in other words, it’s some kind of an automaton, a robot, operated by some kind of computer. “He had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:11–18). His number is six hundred sixty-six, 666. So there you have it! Revelation 13, a very unlucky chapter.

Here we have the picture of this horrible monster, this devil-man called beast or monster here in the Scripture. He is inspired by the Devil, given power by the great red dragon, Satan himself, to take dominion over the whole earth. It says here that everybody is going to worship him except those who love the Lord. Everybody is going to receive his mark except those who have the mark of God already in their foreheads—and those in the book of life.

All the rest of the world is going to believe him and receive him and follow him and wonder after him because he is this great superman, this false messiah, the phony savior. Not the Son of God, but the son of the Devil. Not God incarnate, like Jesus Christ, but Satan incarnate—the Devil in the flesh.

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–11).

The Antichrist is sent to those who rejected the truth and God’s Word and Jesus Christ, since they rejected the truth and didn’t want the truth. So He sends them strong delusion that they might believe a lie, that they might be damned.

This is the same man referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2, who comes doing great signs and wonders and miracles and sits in the temple of God showing himself as God and that he is God and requiring everyone to worship him as God.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).

He has all the characteristics, you’ll notice, of all the former kingdoms and empires which have preceded him. He’s partly a leopard, like Greece; he’s partly a bear, like Medo-Persia; and he has the mouth of a lion, like Babylon. This shows you the territories he covers. And the dragon, the Devil himself, gives him his power, his seat, and his authority.

Now here’s a very strange thing; he has seven heads with ten horns and ten crowns. How could seven heads have ten horns? It looks like seven heads ought to have seven horns, or maybe 14 horns if they had two on each head. But no, the seventh head has ten horns, this last head. According to Daniel, three of the ten horns are overthrown and this eleventh one takes their place. So three horns are then gone or dominated by the little horn, who springs up in this last head, making him the eighth. “Even he is the eighth” (Revelation 17:11; Daniel 7:8,24).

Each of these heads of this beast represents one of the great world empires that has passed off the scene. This time the picture gives you all the world’s empires, all the way from Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and finally the Antichrist, this last world government, the last great world dictatorship of the world dictator, the Antichrist, called here the beast.

There are ten horns, ten kings at the last who’ll cooperate with him, as we’ll find out a little later, and who work with him. He overthrows three of them, and he comes up in their place, and that’s why it says “even he is the eighth” in another chapter we’ll study later (Revelation 17:11). He continues forty and two months, exactly the same length of time we’ve been told of in every other passage we’ve read so far, which is the last three and a half years of world history called the Great Tribulation. In fact, it’s the last half of his seven-year reign.

He comes on the scene with a pact to reign seven years, but in the middle of it he breaks the pact, this holy covenant with the religions of the world, and he abolishes them all. He bans all other religions and says, “Now we’re not going to have any more religious arguments, religious bickering or religious wars; we’re not going to have any more problems over Jerusalem and who’s to take care of it, because I am going to take care of it. I’m going to set my palace up in Jerusalem, my headquarters for my world government, and who are you going to worship? I’m going to sit in the temple of God as god and I will make you worship me, for I am God.” Yes, their god: “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

He also has a false prophet, this other beast who looks like a lamb. You see, this devil-man, he pretends to be God, so he has to have a prophet of God, this false lamb who becomes his greatest promoter, his propaganda master, his false prophet who promotes him and his worship and insists that the world build him a great image, a great idol of this beast, this monster, and that all the world fall down and worship his image or be killed.

He insists that all the world take his number into their foreheads or their hands or they can’t buy or sell. They can’t live; they’ll starve to death. They can’t do business, they can’t sell their produce or their products, and they can’t buy their groceries or their needs. No one will be able to buy or sell or do any business without this number in their forehead or in their hand, and they will all be commanded to worship his image, this great, amazing, computerized robot that will be able to act like it’s alive and move and talk and command the worship of the world.

Because man has now made an idol, an image which is smarter than he is, man has made his own god and he will fall down and worship it and worship the works of his hands.—A new scientific idol that he will worship as god and call God and obey as his god and which the Devil, Satan himself, will be able to “bring to life.”

He will operate this image and cause it to command that everyone who refuses to worship it will be killed by the Antichrist forces of the devil-man, the beast, of whom he is an image, and that no one will be able to buy or sell or do any business of any kind unless he has his mark in his forehead or hand.

Are you ready for it? Will you receive that mark and that number and be condemned? Or do you have the number of God, God’s mark, already in your forehead by salvation in Jesus Christ to spare you from worshipping that monster and his kingdom of hell on earth? You just have to take Jesus into your heart and He’ll save you.

For when Jesus comes,
The earth will shake
And hearts will quake,
Be ready.

*(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)
Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

The Woman and the Dragon

^NT  6/21/21 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³ And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. ⁴ His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. ⁵ She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule^[a] all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, ⁶ and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

⁷ Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers^[b] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹ And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. ¹² Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”¹³ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵ The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶ But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood^[c] on the sand of the sea.(Revelation12) ESV

*We’re studying the twelfth chapter of this final book of the Bible, the Revelation of the endtime, the grand finale, and in this we have the exciting, dramatic story of the queen of heaven and the great red dragon.

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another great wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne” (Revelation 12:1–5).

I think by the time you read this fifth verse you begin to catch on who this was and who this child was. That’s the key, the clue to who the woman is. “For she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.”

Scripture says this about Jesus several times, that He is going to come some day and rule the world, rule all nations, and even rule over the wicked who refused to love and obey Him voluntarily. Now He’s going to rule them with a rod of iron, by force! This is obviously talking about Jesus. “And her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” So after His ministry, Jesus was caught up to God and to His throne.

You say, “I know who his mother is. It was Mary.” But the passage says that she was a woman clothed with the sun, bright and shining like the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. Mary, as far as we know, never looked like the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars. And though she had a child, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered, Mary never had a great red dragon standing beside her waiting to devour the child.—A great red dragon whose tail drew the third part of the angels of heaven and cast them down to the earth.

So who is this woman and how come she looks like the sun and has the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars? This woman is far more than Mary. Mary in a way almost symbolizes this woman, and in a way this woman symbolizes Mary, but obviously her description goes far beyond the 16-year-old Jewish girl who had Jesus as an unmarried mother, to the surprise and chagrin of her husband Joseph, to whom God had an angel appear to explain what was happening so he wouldn’t feel bad and refuse to take her for his wife.

God Himself gave Mary a child—Jesus, unbeknownst to her own husband-to-be Joseph. God had to explain it to them by His angels.—To Joseph in a dream, to Mary by an actual presence, an appearance of God’s angel Gabriel. But this woman in Revelation was far greater than Mary. It isn’t very likely you’re going to see any woman sitting in the sun with her feet on the moon and stars in her crown. Also, it’s not too likely you’re going to see a great red dragon like this standing around waiting to devour her child, literally.

So therefore, if you cannot interpret the vision or the picture or the revelation or the dream literally throughout, it must have symbolic significance. That means each figure of the dream or revelation or vision must symbolize something, must illustrate something. Therefore who was this woman? If it was not literally Mary who brought forth Jesus, if it was greater and beyond Mary, then who was this woman who brought Jesus into the world and who was then attacked or chased by this great red dragon? Obviously this great red dragon is Satan himself, who leads a third of the angels out of heaven with him when he deserts the forces of God.

If the woman symbolizes some greater figure than just Mary herself, who could that be? If this woman is the queen of heaven, she must be the wife of the king. And who is the King of heaven?—Jesus Christ, the Son of God, her Bridegroom, her Husband, her King—and she is the queen. Then who is this woman, if she is the bride of Christ, the queen of heaven?

She can be no other than the complete church of Jesus Christ from the beginning to the end, from the Garden of Eden to the Revelation, from the beginning to the end of the world, all those who are true believers, who loved God, who received Christ the Messiah as their Savior, all those who love Jesus, all those who believe He is the Son of God, all those who are married to the Bridegroom, all those who are the bride of Jesus Christ.

She is the bride of Christ. No other woman could be so glorious, shining like the sun with the moon under her feet and twelve stars in her crown. This woman typifies the whole church of God from the days of Genesis to the final days of Revelation, God’s human bride.

We find this great red dragon, obviously Satan—in fact, he’s later called the old serpent, the Devil, and Satan in the ninth verse, so we know who he is—and he creates a rebellion in heaven, a revolution, a civil war, as we’ll find out a little bit later here, and he’s cast out of heaven with a third of the angels. He tries to destroy the church, he tries to destroy Jesus, and we then find that this woman has to flee into the wilderness.

We’re only getting a little preview here; in fact, we’re having a little flashback, first of all about the coming of Jesus into the world, who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron, becoming the King of kings and literally her Bridegroom, her Husband, she becoming a queen of heaven, as well as queen of earth. But in the sixth verse we find that after her child is caught up to heaven to God and His throne, out of reach of His enemies, she is left behind upon the earth—apparently almost at the mercy of this cruel dragon.

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6). Here we have the 1260 days once again, the three and a half years of the Tribulation period. One thing that gets a bit confusing about the book of Revelation is that it goes back again and rehashes the story from a different angle and a different perspective. We’ve had the coming of Christ already described in this book about three or four times, but then it goes back and it gives a new angle.

You’ve seen movies like this sometimes. You’ve seen a movie of some family or various characters on a boat or in a plane or a hotel, and it gives you flashbacks of their former life and where they came from and who they are and how they got there, then finally they all get together in this hotel or they’re all together in this plane crash, or they’re all together in this sinking boat.

You’ve followed the narration of each life story until they’re all headed on a crash course to this grand finale—and that’s like the book of Revelation. It gives you a picture of each segment of the history of man from these different angles and shows you how it’s going to end from a different standpoint and a different view with different characters and what’s happening to them.

In the preceding chapter we just had the death of the two famous witnesses and their resurrection and their rapture to be with the Lord. And yet, now the seventh angel has just blown and we haven’t heard the whole story.

Now all of a sudden we’re going back again to the birth of Christ and how He was caught up to heaven to be with the Lord. The church was left behind on the earth to be chased and persecuted by the dragon, who is now furious because he couldn’t get rid of Jesus. He came back to life and went where the Devil couldn’t touch Him anymore. Then it speaks of this church in a period of time, of 1260 days—that’s about 42 months or three and a half years. And what period of time is that that we’ve been studying over and over and over again all through the Old Testament and all through the New Testament? The Great Tribulation.

This book is not supposed to be a history book. It’s supposed to be a revelation of the future, and particularly a revelation of the endtime, the very end of history, of man, of his kingdoms, the very end of his history on earth, and so naturally its main emphasis is the endtime.—Although it may give you a few flashbacks into the historical background, as it does in this chapter.

It flashes back to the old history of the church, in a sense, from the time of Eve, who brought forth a line which was to bring forth this man who was to crush the head of Satan. It says, “Her seed will crush your head, Satan. You’ll bruise His heel, but He’ll crush your head” (Genesis 3:15). So it is a flashback to give you the history, in a sense, of the church, only just a flashback enough to show what’s happening now in these last three and a half years of horrible Tribulation and persecution of the church.

“And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7–9). Now we have the picture.

Who is this great red dragon? The ninth verse says specifically that he was that old serpent, the Devil, Satan, “which deceiveth the whole world.” At this time here, obviously at the beginning of this three and a half years, 1260 days, 42 months of Tribulation, he is cast out of heaven by Michael and his angels, the archangel of God who defends God’s people. He’s cast down to earth with a third of the rebellious angels that follow him for the last three and a half years of earth’s history—the Great Tribulation.

No wonder the Antichrist is so powerful and such a superman and wonder worker, because Satan at last is cast out of heaven. There’s a purge in heaven, and the rebels and the demons and the devils are cast out. You say, “What do you mean? I didn’t know there were demons and devils and rebels in heaven.” Well, you haven’t read your Bible very well.

Satan is even called one of the sons of God in the book of Job, and here as being one of God’s creations who is in rebellion against Him and yet appears before Him in the courts of heaven, accusing the saints day and night. Until in this last three and a half years he’s finally purged and cast out with his rebel demons, so that they have no more power in heaven, can no longer come into the presence of God and accuse His saints (Job 2:1; Isaiah 14:12–15; Revelation 12:9–10).

So the Devil in his fury, knowing that his time is short, possesses this Antichrist and makes him a superman, a devil-man, the Devil in the flesh, son of Satan, like Jesus was the Son of God in the flesh. He is the great counterfeiter! The Devil doesn’t know anything new, he can’t do anything different; he just watches what God does and he tries to imitate Him.

Since God had a Son who was God in the flesh, the Devil has this son, who is the Devil in the flesh, possessed by Satan himself. Then the Devil tries to set up on earth the false kingdom of God, the false millennium, only it’s the kingdom of the Devil and it’s the kingdom of hell on earth instead of the Millennium of heaven.

He even has his own trinity! The Devil is the father of his trinity, the Antichrist is his son, and then he has the false prophet, his unholy spirit. Here we have the false trinity, and he becomes the false messiah of the false millennium of the false kingdom of the people who take the Mark of the Beast. All an imitation of what God is about to do—a brief and pitiful imitation.

The Devil tries to imitate God because he always wanted to be God, so when he’s cast out of heaven and he can’t annoy God Himself and God’s angels, then he decides to lord it over the earth and to become the king of this earth. He has been the prince of the power of the air, but now he becomes the usurper king of this world (Ephesians 2:2).

That’s what Jesus even calls him. He says, “I saw him cast out” (Luke 10:18). You may wonder, then, whether he was cast out in Jesus’ day. No, Jesus was looking forward into the future, seeing the day when Satan would be cast out to the earth and possess this Devil-man, the Antichrist, the superman the world is waiting for to solve its problems and set up this false millennium, his kingdom of hell on earth, during which time he chases and persecutes the woman, obviously the church.

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Yet they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. But woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea. For the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:10–12).

We’re being told that now that the Devil is cast out of heaven and heaven is purged, there’s good riddance of bad rubbish, and heaven is rejoicing! But the voice says to the inhabitants of the earth, we who dwell upon the earth and even the church of Jesus Christ still on earth, “Woe unto you people on earth, for the Devil is come down to you and he knows that his time is short and he has great wrath.”

So look out for his wrath during these last three and a half years, these 1260 days, these 42 months of Tribulation mentioned throughout Old and New Testament prophecies. Here’s another proof that the church is here throughout the Tribulation, because the Enemy chases her and she flees into the wilderness.

All these centuries, yea, millenniums, thousands of years, the Devil has been accusing the saints of God. He came before God and accused Noah, Job, and nearly every person of God who has ever lived. He has accused you day and night before the Lord, bringing up your sins and reminding God of the law and saying that you should be punished. He’s the prosecuting attorney who demands the execution of the law. And of the culprit—you!

But you have an advocate, a defense lawyer—Jesus Christ, God’s own Son. God is the judge, the Devil is the prosecuting attorney and executioner, but Jesus, God’s Son, is your defense attorney, your advocate, your lawyer defending you. When the Devil reminds God of all your sins and all your iniquities and your mistakes and your shortcomings and your failures and accuses you for every little flaw and fault he can find, all you have to do is look to your defense lawyer, Jesus.

Say, “Please, Lord, plead my case before the Father. Because You know I’m no good. You know I’ve failed. You know I can’t be good enough. You know I’m not righteous enough. I just have to plead Your blood on the cross, that You died for me and You took the rap. You took the punishment. You paid the price. You fulfilled the law and You died in my place, so therefore You said that God has pardoned me. Plead my case with Your Father.”

Jesus just looks to the Father and says, “This is another one of Mine, Father, who has received Me and believed on Me. He has received My sacrifice in his place and believes that I took his punishment for him. Therefore, Lord, You can hand him one of those pardons that You have stacked up there on Your desk for everyone who loves Me and believes in Me and has received that forgiveness from You because of Me.”

God hands down the pardon, and Jesus hands it to you, and the Devil slinks away with his tail between his legs, defeated again. “Foiled again. Curses!” There used to be an old comic strip in which the villain appeared, looking like the Devil, and every time he got defeated, he slunk off all angry with his tail between his legs, saying, “Curses, foiled again!”

So that’s what happens every time the Devil accuses you now or tries to accuse you. But in these last three and a half years he’s no longer even going to be able to go before the court of God in heaven; he’s going to be right here accusing God’s children and persecuting and trying to kill them.

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast out unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent” (Revelation 12:13–14). She is given wings like an eagle.

Beloved, don’t worry about the Tribulation. Don’t worry about the persecution of Satan. God’s people are going to be given wings to fly away out of his reach into the wilderness! “Given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly”—and for how long? Three and a half years again. A time, two times, and a half a time, three and a half years. So this frustrated, foiled, cursed villain finds out he’s been foiled again, and what does he do in the fifteenth verse?

“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:15–17).

When he couldn’t touch her—God wouldn’t let him lay a claw on her or one fang—he cast a big flood of water out of his mouth. Obviously the Devil himself is not an actual dragon; this is all symbolic. What is this flood the Devil casts out of his mouth? What is the Devil’s major business from the beginning in the Garden of Eden to the end? What does the Devil, Satan, that old serpent, cast out of his mouth and flood the world with?

He tries to drown the world in all of this propaganda and lies. The world will swallow all his propaganda while the church escapes into the wilderness, hidden and protected by God as though she had two wings to live through that awful time to the very coming of her Husband, her Bridegroom, from the sky, to rescue her and take her out of this hell on earth the world will have become.

Are you ready? Are you one of the believers in Jesus? Are you a part of His great bride? Have you accepted Him as your Husband and your Bridegroom and your Savior? Then you don’t have to worry. He’ll take care of you right on through the Tribulation, if He has to give you wings. He’ll hide you in the wilderness if He has to make you disappear. He’ll feed you there and take care of you just as He says here, all the way through that 1260 days or three and a half years of Great Tribulation. And you will be saved and brought through and you will survive till Jesus’ coming.

*(From the writing of David Brandt Berg)
Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

In other words, it’s time for God to take over. It’s time for Jesus to come. In the mind of God and in their minds, it was already done as far as they were concerned. For He says, “The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.” The Resurrection was about to occur, which we already had a little preview of with those two witnesses.

When the veil of the temple was rent in twain when Jesus died, what do you suppose the great congregation of Passover worshippers discovered at that moment, that awesome moment at the height of the Passover celebration, when the greatest Passover Lamb who ever lived, Jesus Christ, was being slain on the cross for their sins? What do you suppose the congregation discovered had happened to the Ark of the Covenant, which was supposed to be standing behind that four-inch thick curtain behind which only the high priest could go?

They discovered to their amazement, their astonishment, their horror, that the Ark was gone, symbolizing the presence of God! God was gone from their midst! He was gone from their temple. He had deserted them and their holy of holies and their Messiah-less religion. He had taken the Ark up to heaven with Him and placed it in His temple there.

Why do you suppose God rent the temple veil in twain? The high priest hadn’t told them the Ark was gone. He wasn’t going to tell them, of course, because that was the center of their religion, the Ark of the Covenant behind the veil in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Their whole religion would have collapsed had they discovered that the Ark was gone. God rent the veil in twain so they could see the Ark was gone. He had removed the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized His presence in the Shekinah Glory of God which shone there between the angels when God was there.

Christians today are the modern Israel of this day of grace since Jesus came. Anyone can become a part of true Israel, the Israel of God, and a prince with God and with man, just by receiving God’s Son Jesus Christ, just by believing on the Messiah, the King of the Jews. He’s King of all of those children of God who believe on Him and receive Him as their Savior—the true spiritual Israel. As St. Paul says, today a Jew is one inwardly, in his heart, the crucifixion and the circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:28–29).

*(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

Eighth verse: “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt and where also our Lord was crucified.” Wasn’t Jesus crucified in Jerusalem, or just outside Jerusalem? So what is He talking about here that the bodies of these two witnesses shall lie in the street of this great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt and Jerusalem?

So will it be with those final great witnesses in those last days. These two will stand in the very presence of the Antichrist and all their enemies, and no one will be able to touch them. They’ll be able to keep right on giving a witness to the very end!

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city …” In other words, they may be killed in the very city of Jerusalem itself. But it doesn’t matter where, because anywhere in the world, people can see them on television. They’re witnessing to the whole world. Their dead bodies lie in the street.

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” (Revelation 11:9). They are so fiercely angry at these two witnesses who faithfully preached the Word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the judgments and warnings of God.  They hated them so much that they didn’t even want to see them buried; they wanted to watch them rot in the streets and the flies to crawl over them and the worms to crawl in and out and smell the stink of their dead bodies, lying on the street.

But what a hollow victory!—Just lumps of clay, lumps of mud. Those two witnesses, their spirits have gone on to be with the Lord. Those were just the bodies, the houses they occupied; the vehicles they ran around in, now gone back to dust.

“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (Revelation 11:10). They’re going to have a new day to celebrate—the death of the great final two witnesses of God.

They’re going to be so happy that they’re dead and no longer convicting them of their sins and preaching the Gospel at them all day long in the heart of the news, and on radio, on television and in newspapers, and their pictures plastered all over the world and beamed from satellites. These two miracle workers will be top headlines and top news and their message the top message to the world. Their opponents are going to be so happy they’re dead, they’re going to give presents to each other like they do on Christmas.

“And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them” (Revelation 11:11). What’s happening? They’re being resurrected! Suddenly those bodies come to life before they’ve been buried.

Jesus is coming in the sky and all the dead in Christ are rising to meet Him in the air—including these two witnesses. Only three and a half days after they’re killed, Jesus comes to resurrect them and rapture them along with all those who are saved. Praise God! And fear fell upon their enemies.

“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. The same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly” (Revelation 11:12–14).

Next we hear that seventh angel, the last trump sound. This is like a little story leading up to that last trump, because when it sounds, that’s when they were resurrected.
*(From the writings of David Brant Berg)

Chapters 7–14:

These deal with the time we call the Great Tribulation, and once again these chapters culminate in the end of the world. Chapter 7 talks about the 144,000 and others who go through the Tribulation. The seventh seal is opened in chapter 8, and it heralds the beginning of the sounding of the Seven Trumpets of Tribulation. In chapters 8 and 9 the first six trumpets sound and result in various plagues and chastisements on the wicked. In chapter 10, the seven thunders sound to announce the seventh trumpet (the Second Coming of Jesus and the Rapture). In chapter 11 we are told that there will be two famous Endtime prophets who will be the vanguard of God’s witnesses in the Tribulation, and that three and a half days after their martyrdom, the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. In chapter 12 we learn more of the Endtime church, and in chapter 13, we are told about the Beast and the False Prophet. In Chapter 14 we reach the end of the world again—well, almost—as both the Second Coming and Rapture occur, as well as the beginning of the Plagues of the Wrath of God.
(The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist-Scott MacGregor)

*After the opening of the sixth of the seven seals is an interlude in the book of Revelation. John describes the 144,000 Jews who will be protected during the tribulation (Revelation 7:1–8). Then, in heaven, he sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (verse 9). These people wear white robes, hold palm branches, and shout:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb” (verse 10).
John is told who this white-clad multitude is: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14). They are given the promise that
“‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat. . . .
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (verses 16–17; cf. Isaiah 25:8; 49:10).

The seventh seal. When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). The judgments that lead up to the close of the tribulation are now visible in the scroll and are so severe that a solemn silence falls upon all of heaven. The seventh seal obviously introduces the next series of judgments, for John immediately sees seven angels who are handed seven trumpets ready to sound (verse 2). An eighth angel takes a censer and burns “much incense” in it, representing the prayers of God’s people (verses 3–4). The angel then took the same censer, “filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake” (verse 5).

Once the seven seal judgments are finished, the next part of the tribulation, featuring the seven trumpet judgments, is ready to begin.*(www.GotQuestions.org )

The Word of Life

^NT 6/02/21That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our^[a] joy may be complete.
(1 John 1:4) ESV

^NT In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:1-4) ESV

*According to Hebrews 4:12, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The “word of God” here is the written or spoken Word, not the Logos of John 1. The ESV says that the Bible is “living” and active.

The description of the Bible as “living” means that it has a vital power inherent to itself. The written Word of God accomplishes God’s purposes (Isaiah 55:11); the preaching of the Holy Scriptures brings about God’s desired effects. The Bible is unlike other books, whatever emotional or social effects they may produce, in that it brings about lasting, supernatural change within a person. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Jesus likened the Word of God to seed in His parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1–23). Seed, like the Bible, is not dead, but living, and it has the ability to bring forth more life abundantly. Seeds produce a crop (verse 23).

The Bible, as the living Word of God, is not inert or powerless, as seen in the actions attributed to the Word in the rest of Hebrews 4:12: the Bible “penetrates” deep within us and “judges” our hearts and motivations. It is “active,” not passive. The Bible is resisted or ignored to our own peril (Hebrews 2:1–3).

The Bible is the living Word of God because it is the message given to us from the “living God” (Hebrews 3:12). The God who is alive works in this world through His living Word in conjunction with the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 6:17). Jesus spoke of the life-giving property of His words: “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63). The word of our Lord is efficacious for our salvation and sanctification (Acts 13:48; John 17:17).

Other indications that the Word of God is alive include the facts that it sustains man (Luke 4:4), it brings faith (Romans 10:17), it has freedom to accomplish God’s will (2 Timothy 2:9), it can be maligned (Titus 2:5), it gives spiritual birth (1 Peter 1:23), and it abides within believers (1 John 2:14).*(www.GotQuestions.org )

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

^NT 5/29/21If you put these things before the brothers,^[h] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive,^[i] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,^[j] so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶ Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
(1 Timothy4:6-16) ESV

*In many places in the New Testament, the apostle Paul refers to himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ” (e.g., Romans 1:1; Colossians 4:12; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 4:6). The Lord’s half-brother Jude refers to himself in the same way (Jude 1:1). Rather than capitalize on his close relationship to Jesus, Jude relegated himself to the status of a servant. Jesus’ family, friends, and chosen apostles refer to themselves as His servants, the plain implication being that Jesus is Lord.

“Servant” is a translation of the Greek word doulos, which means more literally “a slave or bondservant, someone who sets aside all rights of his own to serve another.” Because the word slave carries such a negative connotation to our modern sensitivities, we often choose the word servant instead. However, servant does not quite capture the real meaning of doulos. Paul said he was a “slave” to Christ.

In ancient times, slaves were purchased or born into a slave family and served the master until they died or until the master decided to free them. Some slaves had developed such a close and loving relationship with the master’s family that they wanted to continue serving, even when they could go free. That’s the idea Paul and others were conveying when they referred to themselves as servants of Christ. The Lord has bought us with a high price (1 Corinthians 6:20), and those who come to know Him desire to abandon all rights to Him and choose to serve Him faithfully.

A servant of Christ knows who is the King. A servant of Christ is one who has voluntarily set aside his or her personal rights in order to love, serve, and obey the will of God in Christ Jesus. Servants of Christ die daily to sin and fleshly desires, allowing Christ’s life to flow through them (Galatians 2:20).

To be a servant of Christ is to seek His will in all things. Our primary desire every day, as servants of Christ, is to honor and glorify the One who bought our freedom from sin (1 Corinthians 10:31). This means we must die to ourselves (Luke 9:23), renounce our right to direct our own lives (Luke 6:46), and seek ways to bring our Master pleasure (Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 11:20). Just as a master in ancient times took on the responsibility of caring for his bondservants, so our Lord says that He will provide all we need when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19).*(www.GotQuestions.org )

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,^[c] 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness^[d] is revealed, the son of destruction,^[e] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹² in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) ESV

*The Antichrist is given the title “man of lawlessness” because he will oppose in every way the biblical God and His law. He will be completely lawless. Daniel 7 speaks of this man as a “boastful” king who will “try to change the set times and the laws” (verses 11 and 25). He will come offering a false peace to the world and will with his charismatic personality, incredible promises, and breathtaking miracles unite all nations politically, economically, and religiously under his leadership. At the same time, he will make a covenant with Israel for three and one-half years (cf. Daniel 9:27, where “seven” indicates seven years). In the middle of the seven years, the man of lawlessness will break his covenant with Israel, stop their sacrifices (Daniel 9:27), and enter the temple to set himself up as “god” and demand worship (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This is the “abomination that causes desolation” that Jesus spoke of in Mark 13:14.

Satan works through the Antichrist, for Satan himself is not able to become incarnate. By possessing and controlling the Antichrist, Satan is worshiped in the temple where the biblical God is to be worshiped. No wonder the Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness. To act as “god” is the ultimate rejection of the biblical God’s character and laws.

This action of the Antichrist will cause an upheaval in his worldwide kingdom, and forces from the East will gather to fight against him. But instead of fighting each other, the forces of the world unite to fight the King of kings and Lord of lords, who comes to put down the man of lawlessness and his allies in the great battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16; 19:19). Of course, the man of lawlessness loses that battle. He and his false prophet are then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The Word of God (Revelation 19:13), Jesus Christ, will be the Victor.

A quick observation of the happenings in our world today reveals that lawlessness is on the rise. Such lawlessness will continue and increase (2 Timothy 3:13), and when the man of lawlessness appears on the scene, he will be welcomed with open arms. Those who have rejected the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will fall for the Antichrist’s empty promise of peace. It is vitally important that each of us is sure that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and are living for Him. “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:33)*(www.GotQuestions.org )

^NT 4/28/21For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.⁶ He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.^[b] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”⁹ The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.¹⁰ And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.¹¹ You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, ¹² and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. ¹⁶ So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. ¹⁷ Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. ¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— ¹⁹ they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, ²¹ other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”²² But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. (Acts 24:5-23) ESV

^NT“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.¹³ And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴ But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵ For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ Everyone will hate you because of me. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ Stand firm, and you will win life. (Luke 21:12-19) NIV

*Felix was well informed about this new sect of Jesus’ followers called the Way, and when he heard that Paul’s case involved questions of religion, he adjourned the hearing until the Roman commander who had arrested Paul could be present (Acts 24:22). Paul’s words must have intrigued Felix, because a few days later he summoned Paul to hear more of his teaching. Felix and Drusilla both “listened to [Paul] as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus” (Acts 24:24). But when conviction came through Paul’s words, Felix grew afraid and ordered him to stop talking. Although he gave Paul some freedom by allowing his friends to tend to his needs, Felix kept Paul in jail for two years, ostensibly waiting for a more “convenient” time (Acts 24:25). In reality, Felix was hoping for a bribe from Paul, but one never came. When Felix was replaced as procurator, he left Paul in jail for his successor, Porcius Festus, to deal with.

It could be that another reason Felix left Paul in jail was that he was reluctant to pronounce judgment on a man who was clearly innocent. Or possibly he did so to please Drusilla. A fear of political backlash from the Jews was also a factor (Acts 24:27). Upon his loss of the governorship, Felix was summoned to Rome where certain of his former Jewish subjects accused him of cruelty and corruption. Felix was found guilty but was spared the death penalty.

Felix is representative of many people who are intrigued by the gospel but recognize that surrendering to it means loss of status, power, or control of their own lives. Like Felix, many know on a deep level that what they are hearing is truth, yet their stubborn pride refuses to accept it. Judas Iscariot may have been one of those people. He was in close association with the Son of God for three years, witnessing miracles, healings, and other supernatural events. Yet in the end he chose to walk away. Mere exposure to truth does not necessarily enlighten the heart, and Felix is a good example of that (Ephesians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:18). * (gotquestions.org)

^NT  4/21/21Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,^[b] 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. ¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. (Acts 14:8-20) ESV