The Book of the Revelation (Rev. 5) Palm Sunday 4/5/20

THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
(REVELATION 5) PART IV
PALM SUNDAY APRIL 5, 2020


TEXT: MATTHEW 21:5-9

INTRODUCTION:

On this day over 2,000 years ago, the Son of God rode into the city of Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” As Zechariah 9:9 said of the coming Messiah:

5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”

The question that I want to ask on this Palm Sunday is this: why did Jesus ride into the city of Jerusalem “gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey?” What was His objective? Why did He come like this? What did He come to do? And how does it affect you today on April 5, 2020?

The answer to that question will be my message to you this morning. Let’s pray.

1. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

A. For the past two Sundays I have been teaching from Revelation 5, and in particular, the song that the angels sing in worship to the Son of the uncreated God. I have shown you how that the angels worship Him because He is God—He is begotten and not created (Angels do not worship anyone but the uncreated God). And Jesus is God! Also I have taught you how that the angels worship Him and sing about Him because He alone is worthy to take the scroll from the Father’s hand and release the 21 judgments of the seals, trumpets and bowls of wrath to redeem back to the Father all that was lost in the fall of man. The climax of these judgments will occur at His Second Coming to the earth with the sounding of the 7th Trumpet (also known as the last trumpet). This time He will not be coming to Jerusalem “gentle, riding on a donkey, on the foal of a donkey.” Instead His entrance into Jerusalem will be as Rev. 19:11-16 says,

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of thefury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Jesus is worshipped in Heaven because He is the only begotten Son of the uncreated God, and also because He is alone is worthy to take the scroll, release its’ judgments and so complete the Father’s eternal plan of glory! Praise God! Even so come Lord Jesus! What a day that will be!

But today on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Passion Week that would end at the cross, we take a closer look at the other reason of why the angels are singing a song of worship to Jesus. Once again I draw your attention to,

Rev. 5:8-10

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;


B. Jesus’s first coming to the earth was to be the Lamb, more specifically the Passover Lamb. By His death, ours sins would be forgiven (Passed over). Why is our sins being forgiven so important? Because through the forgiveness of our sins, the way has been opened to relationship with God—the way to know the glory of God, forever!

The scripture says, “For all have sinned and have fallen short of THE GLORY OF GOD” (Romans 3:23).

From the moment you were conceived, God’s plan for you has been to share His glory forever. You were created for eternal glory! Get that fixed in your mind until it is in your heart.

Last week I put something on Facebook that was in my heart:  When you realize (know by the revelation of the Holy Spirit) that you were born for the eternal glory of God, you will understand why nothing and nobody on this earth (temporal things) can complete you. The completion we seek will only be realized when we see Him (Jesus) as He is. For then we shall be like Him! Knowing this gives meaning and purpose to the journey that we are on! “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Rest in Him. 🙏

Back to Romans 3:23 for a moment: “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

Jesus rode into Jerusalem “gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on the foal of a donkey,” because “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

Sin stood in the way of us knowing the glory of God, for which we were created. Sin caused us to fall short or miss the mark of knowing God’s glory. Consequently, the Son of God became the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, our sins, so that we can know the glory of God!

It took the shed blood of the Lamb to redeem us back to God—back to God’s glory—back to His eternal purpose for us.

Romans 6:23 says it this way: “The wages of sin is death (separation from God) but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Revelation 5:10 says And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;

Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God redeemed us back to God by His blood out of every tribe, tongue and people and nation! Why? He did it so that He could  make us “kings and priests to our God.”

What does it mean to be made a king and a priest unto God? It means to realize and experience the purpose for which you were created! You were created to know and live in the glory of God forever! You were created to be a king and a priest! And you will not be complete until that happens in its’s fullness!

The journey that you are on will not be complete until you realize your eternal purpose in Jesus!

That’s why Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God rode into Jerusalem that day “gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on the foal of a donkey.” He humbled Himself and died on the cross so that our sins would be passed over, (forgiven, expunged) so that we could have the hope of knowing and living in the glory of God forever! Forgiven for a purpose!

The crowds in Jerusalem shouted, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They actually were shouting a Psalm (a song) Psalm 118:26.

When some of the blind religious leaders of that day told Jesus to rebuke his disciples for saying (singing) that, Jesus said to them “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Why would the stones cry out? They would cry out because Jesus, the Son of the uncreated God, had come to make the eternal purpose of God possible by His death on the cross! This is what set the angels to singing His song in Rev. 5!

Through the death of the Passover Lamb, God’s eternal purpose of man knowing and sharing His eternal glory was now possible!

Where we fell short, He didn’t. The God-man—even Jesus has put salvation within the reach of whosoever will!

CONCLUSION/ALTAR


On this Palm Sunday, let all who are in Jesus and who will share His glory forever, join in the song of worship to the Lamb: Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood have redeemed for God persons from every tribe, and language and people and nation. You have made them kings and Priests unto God. LET’S PRAY.

A Coming Season of Preparation: the word of the Lord on whats happening and what will happen

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2020
“A COMING SEASON OF PREPARATION”

TEXT: Matthew 25:1-13

INTRODUCTION:

Last Wednesday evening we brought you the Word of the Lord on overcoming the coronavirus giant of fear through faith in God. Our text was taken from I Samuel 17:31-54. The giant Goliath stood and spoke threatening words to the army of Israel, causing them to cower in fear! This went on day after day until David came on the scene and begin to speak words of victory over the giant! While everyone else only saw the giant, David saw Almighty God. And because of his faith in God, David killed the giant and won a great victory for Israel!

Likewise, today we are facing a Goliath called the Coronavirus of fear. And every day from all of the major news outlets the giant is speaking threatening words of sickness, death, and destruction of our country. And so many people, like the army of Israel, are cowering in fear. The answer to defeating this giant is faith in God! Like David, the Church must rise up and lead the way. And we do that by doing what David did: First, by faith, get your eyes off of the threats of the giant and onto God who is bigger than any giant that the devil may produce, now or in the future. Secondly, by faith, stop speaking words of death and defeat and begin speaking words of life and victory in the Lord! And third, by faith, know that this giant will be defeated and God will bring something great out of it!

God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. It’s time to walk in this truth! (II Tim. 1:7)

Now with that said, I want to talk to you tonight about what we can learn from what is happening and why? What do we need to learn about ourselves? What is God saying through this unprecedented time that we are going through? Is there anything we need to change as the Church?

My goal tonight is to try and answer these questions. What God needs from us is honesty and transparency. As I said last week, we should view what is happening as an opportunity. I personally believe that this is, among other things, a wake-up call to the Church to prepare. I don’t see it as a negative but rather as a positive.

God prepared David to defeat the giant Goliath by first delivering him from the paw of the lion and the bear. So let’s not miss our season of preparation. Much, much good can come from it, for us, and for those following us.

Let’s pray.

I. What is the spiritual significance behind this virus and the reaction to it?

A well-known pastor was asked the question if God was the one who sent the Coronavirus? His response was no, God did not send it, but He would use it for His purposes. I agree.

A. Where then did this virus come from? Obviously viruses are a part of a cursed world because of man’s sin and rebellion against God. “The wages of sin is death,” and viruses are part of that “death.” The Good news is that the other part of that verse says, “. . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.” And when Jesus returns to the earth the second time, death—including all viruses, will be no more! For the curse of sin and death will be forever removed! So the coronavirus, then, did not come from God but rather has come as result of man’s sin and rebellion against God.

B. But what about the spread of the virus? The coronavirus that began in Wuhan China, likely from people eating snakes and bats that were carrying the virus, has become a worldwide pandemic because of the unbelieving and atheistic Chinese Communists government who concealed it from their own country and the rest of the world! Consequently, people who were infected in China were spreading it in China and to the different countries where they travelled! So here, we see that man’s sin—via the atheistic Chinese Communist Government—escalated this virus to a worldwide problem causing both death and destruction in numerous countries—including our own!

C. Now along with this virus being spread because of the sinfulness of man, I also believe that there is demonic activity behind it as well. The devil has used the spread of this virus to create a pandemic of fear around the world and also here in our country. And our news media has certainly been his willing spokesman for spreading this fear—a fear that is really hurting the people of this country by essentially shutting down our economy!

I personally believe that Satan’s greatest desire through spreading this fear is to collapse the US economy. Why? The United States is the biggest obstacle to his plan of a one world government, with the eventual one world economic system and one world religion. This will be the Harlot Babylon in the Book of the Revelation. His goal is to use this harlot to eventually bring the world to the place where it will worship him through the Antichrist. But that is a subject for another time. Please consider watching us on Sunday mornings on Facebook Live as I am teaching the Book of the Revelation. I will add one further comment here before we move on. God is definitely using the United States, and President Trump as “a restraining force” to keep Satan from implementing his diabolical plan. One day that restraining force, “he who holds it back” (2 Thess. 2:7) will be removed and the Antichrist will be revealed, but not yet! I am convinced that the time of this virus is coming to an end. And the United States economy will recover and make a speedy comeback. We will have a time of grace. The question is what should and what will we do with it?

II. What then is God saying to the Church through this? Where are we spiritually? What do we need to change to be prepared?

A. What is God saying to the Church through this?

1.) This is not the last or the biggest giant you will face. There are more giants coming and they will be bigger and more difficult to deal with than this one. The good news is that God is bigger than them all! But you have to know that—really know that if you are going to be victorious—and the only way that you can know that is by knowing Him! And that leads to the second question.

B. Where are you spiritually?

1.) This is the time for raw and transparent honesty. Have you reacted to this current crisis in fear or have you responded in faith? No one knows the answer to that question but you. So be honest with yourself. Being prepared for what’s coming in the future begins here. If you have been seized by fear, then you are not where you need to be spiritually. It’s one thing to have a fearful thought, but it’s quite another to be controlled by fear. People who live by faith in God are not controlled by fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world!”

We are soon to enter into a season of grace—the giant of the coronavirus of fear will be dead and things will return to normal. But don’t allow yourself to sleep during this time. Be wise and get prepared. Be as the five wise virgins and get the extra oil and be prepared (Matthew 25:1-13).

C. What do we need to do to be prepared? How do we get the extra oil?

1.) I’m going to give you the 101 or the basics of how to get the extra oil that will prepare you for what’s coming. I can give you the basics, but only you can move in faith and actually gather the oil.

1. Find a good Bible believing Church where the Word of God is preached and not just “feel good” sermons to keep you “happy and in the pew.” Feel good sermons are no good against Satanic giants. But the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit that will kill any giant that comes along! (The time will soon come when the Church will be meeting again)

2. Read the Word of God. Get into the Word of God until it gets into you. A life built on the Word of God can and will withstand any storm!

3. Pray. Pray with the mind and pray with the Spirit. Learn to talk to God about everything. And learn to pray anywhere—church, home, work, school, driving, etc. Develop a relationship with God through prayer.

4. Repent of sin. Confess it to God and turn from it. Ask God to show you any area where you may be opening a door to sin—television, music, friends, what you read and watch on the internet, etc. Ask Him and He will show you any place of sin that you need to recognize and turn from! This is not an attempt in being “religious,” but rather it is being wise; it is getting prepared; it is gathering the extra oil. “Unwise virgins” always find excuses not to gather the extra oil. “It’s too hard; it’s not politically correct; I don’t have the time; I’ve always done it; it’s no big deal; God understands me. If you’re making excuses, you ain’t fooling nobody but yourself. And you won’t be prepared for what’s coming.  You are acting like one of the five foolish virgins who were not prepared when the time came.

5. This goes along with number one. Don’t only find a good Bible believing Church that preaches the Word of God, also find one where they do all of the above! Find and be faithful to a church that preaches the Word of God; that allows the Holy Spirit to move and speak freely; where prayer is not just something you do but is a lifestyle; where sin is confessed and repented of; and where compromise with the world is not accepted.

If you do these things, you will be as one of the “wise virgins” who gathered the extra oil, and you will be prepared for whatever giant comes next.

CONCLUSION

Church, we are soon to move into a season of grace. The coronavirus giant of fear will be no more and things will return to “normal.”  But be wise in this next season; don’t slumber and sleep as the five “unwise virgins” did. They were not prepared for what was coming! And they also missed what God had for them! Hear now the Word of the Lord: be awake and alert. Use this season to get prepared for what is coming. It is the time to gather the extra oil as one of the “wise virgins” and in so doing be prepared for what is coming and for all that God has for you!

Shalom

The Gift of Gifts from "The Valley of Vision"

“What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, thine own dear Son, BEGOTTEN AND NOT CREATED, my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,; His self-emptying incomprehensible, His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: He came below to raise me above, was born like me that I might become like Him. Herein is love; when I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace, to raise me to Himself. Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart He united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and the created. Herein is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to Him, and no intellect to devise recovery, He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost, as man to die my death, to shed satisfying blood on my behalf, to work out a perfect righteousness for me. O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds, and enlarge my mind; let me hear good tidings of great joy, and hearing believe, rejoice, praise, adore, my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose, my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father; place me with ox, ass, camel, goat, to look with them upon my Redeemers face, and in Him account myself delivered from sin; let me with Simeon clasp the new born child to my heart, embrace Him with unyielding faith, exulting that He is mine and I am His. In Him thou hast given me so much that Heaven can give no more.” 

The Father's Throne and the Exaltation of Jesus Part II

THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
The Father’s Throne and Jesus’ Exaltation
“TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS”
(Part II)

INTRODUCTION:

Last week in Revelation 4, we saw John being called up to Heaven and being shown the throne of God the Father. What did John see? He saw the beauty and power of the Father, and also judgment tempered with mercy. It should be understood that Father-God is passionate about removing from the earth all that is standing in the way of His eternal plan to redeem back to Himself all that has been lost. Then in Revelation 5 we saw the Father’s plan (in the scroll) to work through Jesus to accomplish His redemptive purposes. In this message we will continue to look into the wonder of who Jesus is, why He is worthy, and how that worthiness qualifies Him alone to carry out the Father’s plan. 


IV. JESUS IS WORTHY: WE TRUST IN THE LEADERSHIP OF JESUS (REV. 5)

A. To be worthy is to be both deserving and capable (character and ability) to open the scroll and rule the earth. The four living creatures and twenty-four elders agree with the great love song that Jesus is worthy, and they agree with the Father’s decree to give Jesus leadership of the earth. They actually sing about it in worship to the Lamb!

Revelation 5:8-10

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth."

B. Jesus is worthy: Three applications

1. Jesus is worth it:  In this faith journey that we are on, sometimes it can become very difficult. And at times the tendency is to just want to quit and give up. The demonic will whisper in your ear, “God has let you down; He is no longer worth it. Just back off; it’s simply too hard and is not worth the trouble to keep going after God.” Perhaps we should remember what the Apostle Paul said during our hard times. He certainly was no stranger to difficult times and hardships! Yet, in Philippians 3:8 he said from a Roman dungeon, where he was in captivity for preaching the Gospel, “I count all things loss for the excellence of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish.” And during trying times, it’s good to remember people like Missionary Jim Elliot who was martyred for his faith at the age of only 29. He said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” The Apostle Paul and Missionary Jim Elliot knew the worth of Jesus! And so should we!

2. Jesus is capable:  To drive evil off of the earth and establish the Kingdom of God over all.

3. Jesus deserves it: The Father will give leadership of the earth to Jesus just as He gave it to Adam. Jesus has proven Himself by making every choice in both love and righteousness.

II Corinthians 8:9 “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

C. Jesus being slain: He had to become human and live in obedience and dependence on the Spirit.

1. Jesus had to become human forever! Therefore, as a human, He qualified as the sacrifice for humanity.

2. Jesus lived in perfect love, humility, and righteousness. Therefore He qualified as the perfect sacrifice to bear God’s wrath in our place.

3. Jesus lived dependent on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Ever since the incarnation Jesus has never been less than God, but He has lived as though He was never more than a man. For thirty three years on the earth, He lived in dependence on the Spirit as a man. He waited on the Father in prayer and obedience for Him to release the Spirit every time. His was perfect obedience.

Isaiah 11:2-3, a prophecy about the coming Messiah/Jesus which He fulfilled perfectly: (The sevenfold Spirit of God)

2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears.

D. The humility of Jesus:   It is beyond our understanding in His humanity, anointing and intercession

E. The Father gives Jesus an unprecedented measure of favor over seven areas of leadership:

Revelation 5:11-12

“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

1. Power (political): Jesus will receive governmental leadership over the nations.
2. Riches (financial): All the money on earth will be under the leadership of Jesus.
3. Wisdom (intellectual): Jesus will replace every evil government on earth with new leaders and laws, along with restoring every area of life (political, economic, family, educational, agricultural, media, technology, environment, social institutions, etc.).
4. Strength (emotional): Jesus will have the strength to continue to restore the nations and to contend against any and all resistance.
5. Glory  (spiritual): All will boast in the Jesus with loving delight and joyful trust. Paul gloried in Jesus. Children glory in their father; young men glory in their strength; and we glory in the name of the Lord!
6. Honor (relational): Jesus will be greatly respected and listened to in all the nations (honor means to publically esteem and show unusual respect for someone). Jesus’ words will be respected and reverenced as the greater Solomon.
7. Blessing (social): All will fully cooperate with His leadership, resulting in the mightiest work force in history. The nations will bless all of His plans and policies. Said another way, the nations will agree and cooperate with the plans of the Lord as He rebuilds and rules the earth in wisdom, love and righteousness!

V. All THE NATIONS WILL SEE JESUS’ BEAUTY IN THE MILLENNIUM ( His 1000 YEAR REIGN ON THE EARTH).

Isaiah 33:17 “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty.”

Isaiah 4:2 “In that day the Branch of the Lord (Jesus as Man) shall be beautiful and glorious.”

VI. AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM JESUS WILL GIVE THE NATIONS TO HIS FATHER.

A. The Father’s promise to Jesus: To make Him preeminent in all things.

Colossians 1:18 He is the Head of the Body . . . that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

B. Jesus earned the right to rule the earth, yet He gives it to the the Father. Jesus delights in humility. Another reason why all of heaven worships Him, and so should we!

I Corinthians 15:24, 28:  Verse 24 “Then comes the end (Millennial Kingdom), when He (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He (Jesus) puts an end to all rule (hostile rebellious authorities during the Millennium) . . . Verse 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him (Jesus), then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him (The Father) . . . that God may be all in all.”

CONCLUSION

Next time we will see the beginning of Jesus opening the seals of God’s judgment on an unbelieving world. But today, we ask the question: how should we respond to what we have seen and heard from Revelation 5?

I believe that we should do as the angels in heaven and worship Him. He is truly worthy to be worshipped because of who He is, God; what He has done: became a man forever, lived a perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins; and because of what He will do: redeem all that was lost back to the Father forever!


Rev 5:8-10

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth."

The Father's Throne and Jesus' Exaltation

THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
The Father’s Throne and Jesus’ Exaltation (Rev. 4-5)
(Part I)

INTRODUCTION:

John has had a vision in chapter one of the glorified Son of God. And in chapters two and three John has seen this same Jesus walking in the midst of the seven churches on the earth and holding the seven messengers (leaders/pastors) of these churches in His right hand. Now, after these visions, in chapters 4 and 5 John is now called up through a door in Heaven to behold the throne room of Almighty God! I hope you are beginning to see the storyline as well as the continuity and order of this amazing book. And here is where we begin today.

I. THE FATHER’S HEAVENLY COURT: THE BEAUTY OF GOD (REV.4)

A. Revelation 4 gives us the greatest revelation of God’s beauty in the Scriptures. What God put around Himself expresses His beauty to creation. Revelation 4 is about the beauty of God. After the Father’s beauty is revealed in chapter 4, then His plan for Jesus comes to light in Revelation 5.

B. Revelation 4:2-7

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."  2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 

C. Revelation 4:8-11. The government leaders of heaven’s glory (boast with loving delight) in God. Their foundational hymn forever magnifies God’s holiness (Note: there are fourteen hymns in Revelation).

The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

"Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come."

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

D. To be holy means “to be totally separated from.” God is separated from everything sinful. Therefore He is pure! God is also separated from everything created (or common), therefore He is transcendent or infinitely superior to all that exits. God’s holiness points to His transcendent beauty.

II. THE GRAND DRAMA: JESUS IS EXALTED AS KING OVER ALL NATIONS (REV.5)

A. Revelation 5 gives us insight into the Father’s plan to exalt Jesus as a human being over all the earth. Jesus coming as king to take over the nations is one of the main themes of Revelation

Rev. 1:7 “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him . . .”

Rev. 19:16 “He has on His robe . . . a name written: King of kings and Lord of Lords.

Psalm 2:8 “I (the Father) will give to you (Jesus) the nations for your inheritance.”

B. Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is a great mystery.

John 1:1,14,18 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. V. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. V. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”

C. The Father promised to exalt Jesus because of His faithfulness in His humanity.

Philippians 2:6-11
 “Although He existed in the form of God . . . being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

D. God gave dominion (authority) of the earth to Adam as a representative of the human race as an eternal stewardship. To reverse this decision would be an injustice and failure to keep His word.

Genesis 1:28
 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Psalm 115:16 
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; But the earth He has given to the children of men.
E. By sinning, Adam forfeited his authority to Satan (Genesis 3; Luke 4:6).

Luke 4:6
 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”

It would be through Jesus, in both His First and Second Coming, that God would take back the dominion of the earth—through the God-Man. That is the purpose of the scene in Revelation 5.

III. JESUS TAKES THE SCROLL FROM THE FATHER’S HAND (REV. 5)

As Jesus is commissioned, He takes the scroll from the Father’s hand (v.7). This scroll represents the title deed of the earth and the action plan (Rev. 6-19) necessary to prepare the Church as a mature Bride, who partners with Jesus to bring in the harvest and judge the Antichrist’s worldwide empire as a key part of His plan to drive evil off of the earth and establish the Kingdom of God.



Revelation 5:1-7:
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. 6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.”

B. The Father gives the title deed of the earth to Jesus as a human king. He is the only man with the ability to govern the whole world and lead all of its governments (v.2). He is the only one found worthy (deserving and capable) to take the scroll from the Father. In taking the scroll Jesus accepts responsibility to cleanse and rule the whole earth.
C. To “open the seals” means to release judgments in the book of the Revelation (Rev. 6-19), to cleanse the planet from evil, and to restructure all the governments of the earth (Rev. 20:4-6).

D. Jesus is the only man with the wisdom, love, humility, and power to open the seals (release judgment) in a way that produces righteousness and love across the entire earth.

E. Jesus has the fierceness and fearlessness of a lion and the tenderness and humility of a lamb.

That’s why He is seen as the “. . . the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David . . .” and as “a Lamb standing as if slain . . .” in Revelation 4.

Only He who has perfect humility, as of a Lamb, and the perfect strength, as of a Lion, could carry out the plan of the Father to take back control of the earth!


CONCLUSION

Hopefully it is becoming clear that Jesus is the center of Father-God’s plan to restore all that was lost back to Himself. And that includes all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; that includes you and me!

Dear friends, the Gospel or the Good News of the Kingdom of God is this: Jesus, the Lamb of God, who died on the cross to take away our sins and secure our inheritance to live forever with God will return to the earth the second time as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to make sure we have it!

That is what we see in the Book of The Revelation! And blessed are all of those who receive this truth!

COMMUNION

Let’s celebrate this truth today as we remember His First Coming as the Lamb and His Second Coming as the Lion!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26
 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."  26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Let’s pray.

REVELATION OUTLINE: JESUS IS THE CENTER

THE REVELATION OUTLINE: JESUS IS THE CENTER


I. REVELATION 1 JOHN SEES JESUS AS HE IS NOW: THE RESURRECTED SON OF GOD IN HIS GLORIFIED BODY. 

II. REVELATION 2-3 JOHN SEES JESUS WALKING AMONG THE CHURCHES AND HOLDING THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCHES IN HIS RIGHT HAND.

III. REVELATION: 4-5 JOHN SEES JESUS IN THE THRONE ROOM OF HEAVEN AS THE ONLY ONE WORTHY TO RECEIVE THE FATHER’S PLAN (SCROLL) TO TAKE BACK THE EARTH.

IV. REVELATION 6-22 JOHN SEES JESUS EXECUTING THE FATHER’S PLAN TO TAKE BACK THE EARTH AS HE REMOVES ALL EVIL GOVERNMENTS AND REPLACES THEM WITH THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD.

Why Should We understand the Letters to the Seven Churches?

THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
 WHY WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

1. REVIEW: MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION

A. Revelation is called the “revelation of Jesus Christ” because it reveals His heart, His power and His leadership.

Rev. 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place.  He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John.”

B. The theme of Revelation is Jesus returning to take leadership of the earth, in partnership with His people, to reap a harvest of souls (Rev. 7:9) and to replace all worldly governments with the Kingdom of God (Rev. 11:15; 19:15-16).

Rev. 1:7 “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him.”

C. Jesus will come only in the context of a prepared Bride in unity with the Spirit and anointed in prayer to release God’s glory on the earth and to release the Tribulation to confront darkness.

Rev. 19:7 For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

Rev. 22:17 “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!”

Rev. 8:4-5 “The prayers of the saints, ascended before God . . . Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.”

At the end of this present age, the final seven years of the Tribulation Period, evil will be full grown or mature through the Antichrist Kingdom. But the Church of Jesus Christ will also be full grown—a Church without spot or wrinkle. The end time Church will truly be amazing. She will be awesome and mighty as she reflects the true beauty of Jesus in the earth! Hopefully you are getting the picture or revelation of the end time Church alive in the Tribulation Period. This Church will not only be mature but she will also be a mighty force in praying down the Kingdom of God. There is a good reason why Satan, the Red Dragon, will go after the Church through the Babylon Harlot and the Antichrist.

Solomon describes this end time Church in the Song of Solomon, Chapter 6 and verse 10: “Who is this that grows like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners.”

Mary Queen of Scotland said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

The Antichrist will learn to fear the global intercession of the end time Church as she prays down the judgments of God upon his evil kingdom!

II. OUTLINE OF REVELATION

Rev. 1: Jesus gives the clearest picture of who He is with 24 descriptions of His majesty. (There are 6 more distinct descriptions in chapters 2-3; 30 total)
Rev. 2-3: Jesus gives us the clearest picture of what He wants in the Church in His seven letters.
Rev. 4-5: Jesus gives us the clearest picture of His heavenly commission and resources.
Rev. 6-19: Jesus gives us the clearest picture of how He will prepare the nations to receive the Kingdom of God.
Rev. 20-22: Jesus gives us the clearest picture of our eternal inheritance on earth with Him. 



III. LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES: PREPARING TO OVERCOME AND OPERATE IN POWER (7 letters from Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the Church, to the Church)

A. The Book of Revelation is an end-time book of Acts. Just as the Book of Acts revealed the works of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets, the Book of the Revelation reveals the acts of the Holy Spirit through the end-time apostles and prophets. Although these are seven messages to seven churches in John’s day and to the Church in each successive generation, they are also messages from Jesus to the end-time Church in how to prepare to partner with Him in His worldwide actions related to His Second Coming. Jesus knows best how to prepare His own Bride. The Church will play a major role in the seven year Tribulation Period. This will definitely be a time where people are living in what has been called “Bible Days.”

B. These letters show us the kind of Church that Jesus is building and what His agenda is. In them, we see how Jesus defines love and what He says is relevant. In these letters, the Lord defines the kind of Church that will be mature enough to release God’s judgment against the Antichrist in the way that Moses released the ten plagues on Egypt, and as the Apostles established the Church in Acts. The Tribulation Church will be a “Bible Days” Church!
C. The seven letters define the truths and focus necessary to equip the Church to walk in love for Jesus. Our love is expressed as we obey His commands, heed His warnings, and believe His promises—especially the eternal rewards! There will be great challenges for the end-time Church but also great rewards.

IV. HOW TO APPLY THE SEVEN LETTERS: FIVE WAYS

A. Individually: These letters were written to inspire a response from each individual believer (from Jesus to you—make it personal).
B. Corporately: The most powerful application is when local churches walk in these truths together. How good and pleasant when brethren dwell together in unity. True holiness produces true fellowship of the supernatural kind! This provides the environment of true holiness for revival!
C. Historically: The letters were first written to seven historical churches in John’s generation to address the actual conditions of seven real churches.
D. Universally:  The letters were written for all churches in the first century and throughout 2,000 years of Church history, just as the letter to the Romans was for the Church at Rome and for all churches, past, present and future.
E. Eschatologically (end-time): To prepare the Church for the events seen in Revelation 6-19. This is when there will be the most believers in history living in the most difficult time in history—and the most blessed!

V. STUDYING THE SEVEN LETTERS: THE COMMON ELEMENTS IN THE LETTERS

A. Historical context:  It is important to know that these were seven real churches. Therefore, we will look at the political, economic, and spiritual context behind them. It is important to understand these churches and what Jesus said to them, in context, because it will provide prophetic insight in preparing you to not only live in the world but how to overcome it.
B. Affirmation for faithfulness: Jesus gave affirmation before He brought correction. Two churches received no affirmation (Sardis and Laodicea).
C. Rebuke for compromise: What they must not do. Jesus’ correction is not rejection. He had things against three churches: Ephesus (2:4), Pergamum (2:14), and Thyatira (2:20). Two churches did not receive a correction (Smyrna and Philadelphia). The compromises He gave the sternest rebukes were for passivity, immorality, and idolatry (covetousness and or sorcery; Col. 3:5; Eph.5:5; I Cor. 10:20-22). These were enabled by false teachings on grace that did not require repentance. This is prevalent in the Church today.
D. Exhortation to respond: What must they do? Jesus gave actions that He required, often with an element of warning. The warnings that Jesus gave most were against passivity (distraction with their increased blessing) and fear (persecution/rejection).

E. Promise for overcomers: As motivation for diligent faithfulness to Jesus. Most of these promises are for the millennial Kingdom. Insight into rewards is essential to help equip us to stand in pressure. Jesus promised 18 eternal rewards in Revelation 2-3.
F. Revelation of Jesus:  Each message begins with Jesus calling attention to the specific aspect of His majesty seen in Revelation 1 that was needed in each church’s situation. Sixteen different aspects of Jesus’ majesty are highlighted in Revelation 2-3. (You have the handout on the 30 descriptions of Jesus; this can also be accessed on my blog at warriorprophet.blogspot.com) Can you see the importance in keeping Jesus central? The person of Jesus is the power to overcome!


CONCLUSION

For those who say that the book of the Revelation is just a bunch of symbolism that nobody can understand, I would say to you that nothing could be further from the truth. The Book of the Revelation is God’s detailed Word for the end-times. It reveals the majesty of God’s Son and His plan to establish the Father’s eternal Kingdom on the earth. It reveals God’s plan to overcome all evil by removing everything and everyone who stands in the way of His love. Also in this amazing book is the Lord’s Church, a Church whom is destined to rule and reign with Him forever and ever. The book of the Revelation is the story of the end and the new beginning! If you allow it, this book will take you to places you have never been before. As Revelation 1:3 says “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” And I can confidently say, much more near than ever before!


What is meant by the phrase, “what must soon take place.”? It has been 2,000 years and the events described in this book have not yet taken place. I’m going to, humbly, tell you what I believe is meant here. When referring to end time events, Daniel said in Daniel 2:28 that what God was showing to King Nebuchadnezzar in the prophetic dream he was given were events that would take place “in the latter days.” Then we read in Daniel 12:4 “But as for you Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the time of the end . . .” Jesus, when speaking of end time events in the Gospels, said that certain things must happen first, but the end was not yet. However, in the Book of the Revelation, John shows for the first time that the events predicted by Daniel and foreseen by Jesus stood in readiness to be fulfilled. The Second Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was now in view and ready to be fulfilled. The Lamb of God had been slain for the sins of the world, had been raised up, and ascended back to Heaven. The next event would be His return to earth. Or look at it this way: The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost had been fulfilled; the next Feast to be fulfilled would be the Feast of Trumpets—the Rapture and Second Return of Jesus to the earth. But here is where we need to understand the way God views time and the way we view it. They are different. In II Peter 3:8 we read, “But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a
day.” In the way that God views time, it’s only been two days since John wrote the Book of the Revelation!  And comparatively speaking, two days or even two thousand years is not much time when you consider the thousands of years that took place from the creation to the first coming of Jesus! I would add one further thought here. Although it’s my conviction that the Lord wanted every generation, and every believer, to live in readiness and expectancy of His Second Coming, I believe that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and the retaking of Jerusalem in 1967 by the Jewish people are two definite and profound, prophetic signs that let us know that we are in the generation of the Lord’s return and the events written in the Book of the Revelation being fulfilled. We are closer to the Lord’s return than ever before, and we should live our lives in light of that truth.

The theme of Revelation: Jesus

THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION (REV.1)

1. INTRODUCTION (REV. 1:1-2)

A. The Book of the Revelation is called the “revelation of Jesus Christ” because first it reveals the majesty of His heart and leadership in His plan to transition this present evil age to the glorious age to come.

Rev. 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him (Jesus) to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to . . . John.”

B. Second, it is a book about events that take place in His end-time plan to purify the Church, bring in the harvest, and replace the evil governments on earth with the Kingdom of God. God’s purpose in this book is first to reveal the Man behind the plan. Many only see the plan and miss the man—Christ Jesus.

C. In Revelation 1-3, John gives us 30 specific descriptions of Jesus in His majesty, ministry, and personality along with 18 eternal rewards.

1. We can identify these 30 descriptions from Jesus’ titles, names, appearance, actions, and clothing. For example, the garments that He wore speak of Him as a High Priest. His eyes like fire reveal His passion, intensity, judgment, and full knowledge of every situation.

2. There are 24 descriptions in Revelation 1 plus 18 in Revelation 2-3, totaling 42. Since 12 are used in both Revelation 1 and Revelation 2-3, there are 30 distinct descriptions.

D. These 30 descriptions and rewards are an invitation to search out the Word of God to get a greater picture of what the Spirit is saying about Jesus. The more we know about Jesus, and the more we know Jesus, the better equipped we will be in overcoming temptation and persecution.

E. Each description and reward gives us a specific insight about Jesus  that is necessary in equipping the Church to overcome compromise, endure persecution, and have the heart to partner with Him in the great end-time drama. Knowing Who He is, what He has done and what He will do is key.

F. Revelation 1 is the most complete picture of Jesus in the Bible. It describes who He is (how He thinks and feels) and what He does in His end-time plan. If we read Revelation with the right perspective, it inspires us to adore Jesus and trust in His leadership. Here we see what Jesus wants emphasized about Himself to prepare His Church for the greatest release of His glory.

G. Jesus gave us these insights into His heart and ministry to form the way we pray, prophesy and serve Him in releasing His glory and warring against evil. This revelation will give us the ability to move with a spirit of boldness, gentleness, and confidence instead of with a spirit of harshness and fear.

H. No aspect of God’s grace more powerfully transforms our emotions and satisfies our souls than when the Spirit of God reveals Jesus to our hearts.

I. The Apostle Paul spoke of this truth in Philippians 3:8 when he said, “I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. . .”

J. The Holy Spirit was given to us to reveal Jesus to us.  And no one knows Jesus like the Holy Spirit. As we study the Book of The Revelation, our prayer should be for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us. I have spoken about keys in understanding this amazing book, but the ultimate key to understanding Revelation is in knowing Jesus. It is in knowing who He is and what He does, and why.


John 16:13-14 “The Spirit . . . will guide you . . . He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

I Corinthians 2:10-12 “The Spirit searches . . . the deep things of God . . . We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

K. In Revelation 1, Jesus is seen as the Son of Man who leads the Church through history as the Prophet, Priest, and King. These truths are to equip the Church (Rev. 2-3) to be faithful to Him.

Rev. 1:13 “. . . One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet . . .”

1. Jesus used the title Son of Man more than any other when speaking of Himself (85 references). When Jesus spoke of Himself as the Son of Man, He proclaimed the two most important truths about Himself, that He was both fully God and fully human. By using that title, Jesus was saying I am fully God yet fully human. I am one of you.

2. As the Son of Man, He stood before the throne of God to be commissioned by the Father (Ancient of Days) to rule all the nations on the earth (Dan. 7:13-14):

“Behold, the One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven . . . Then to Him was given dominion . . . His dominion is an everlasting dominion.”

L. In Revelation 1, Jesus’ leadership in the Church is seen as the righteous prophet, merciful priest, and sovereign King. However, as the book unfolds, His leadership is openly revealed before all the nations at the end of the age in Revelation 19-22 as the Bridegroom, King and Judge.

M. In Revelation 19-22, the righteous prophet is seen in greater light as the zealous judge, the merciful priest, as the passionate Bridegroom, and the sovereign King.

The Seven Main symbols in The Revelation

THE SEVEN MAIN SYMBOLS IN THE REVELATION

1. DRAGON: Satan
2. FIRST BEAST: Antichrist
3. ANOTHER BEAST: False Prophet
4. HARLOT BABYLON: worldwide, demonic religious and economic system
5. SEVEN HEADS: represents seven empires from history that persecuted Israel
     (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, revived Roman Empire)
6. TEN HORNS: represent a ten nation confederation that will serve the Antichrist
7. WOMAN WITH THE MALE CHILD (Jesus): faithful remnant of Israel throughout history

The Structure of The Book of The Revelation

STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION

REV. 1         PART 1 John’s CALLING to prophesy about the end times: John gives
                     specific truths about the glory and majesty of Jesus—truths that
                     form the central message of the Book and which equip us as
                     believers. (There are 30 descriptions of Jesus in Rev. 1-3)

REV. 2-3      PART 2 Jesus gives SEVEN LETTERS to seven churches: The
                     instructions Jesus gives to these seven churches, located in Asia
                     Minor or modern day Turkey, is about overcoming sin. They give us
                     practical insight into what we must overcome today.

REV. 4-5     PART 3 Jesus takes the SCROLL: The scroll represents the title deed of
                    the earth and the battle plan of Jesus to cleanse the earth in
                    preparation for the Kingdom of God. This battle plan is seen in the
                    events of Revelation 6-22.

REV. 6-22 PART 4 Jesus’ BATTLE PLAN  is written in the scroll and includes the
                   the Great Tribulation against the Babylon religion and Antichrist’s
                   empire. In these chapters, Jesus reveals the His main story line of
                   cleansing the earth of evil and establishing the Kingdom of God. His
                   battle plan is described in FIVE CHRONOLOGICAL SECTIONS describing
                   the judgment events, each followed by an ANGELIC EXPLANATION.

The five chronological sections tell us what happens to Antichrist’s followers in the twenty-one numbered judgment events (7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls) which intensify in severity as they unfold (The trumpets are more intense than seals).
The five angelic sections are parenthetical. They pause the story line. They answer questions such as, why is God’s wrath so severe? What will happen to us? Angels explain to John what will happen to God’s people, including what Jesus will do to help the saints and what the Antichrist will do to persecute them.

REV. 6               CHRONOLOGICAL SECTION 1: The SEAL JUDGMENTS against the
                           Kingdom of darkness
REV. 7               ANGLELIC EXPLANATION 1: The saints receive PROTECTION from
                           judgments and from falling away from the faith
REV. 8-9            CHRONOLOGICAL SECTION 2: THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS against
                           Antichrist’s empire
REV. 10-11       ANGELIC EXPLANATION 2: The saints receive DIRECTION by the
                           great increase of prophetic ministry (the two witnesses)
REV. 11:15-19 CHRONOLOGICAL SECTION 3: The SECOND COMING PROCESSION
                           and the rapture of the Church
                           
THE SEVENTH AND LAST TRUMPET (I Corinthians 15:52; I Thessalonians 4:16;
Revelation 10:7): Jesus will replace all governmental leaders on earth in a hostile takeover. He will lead a royal procession across the earth. He will first travel across the sky to rapture the saints (every eye will see Him, Revelation 1:7), then through the land of Edom (modern day Jordan, Isaiah 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3:12) destroying His enemies, then to Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:2-5).

REV. 12-14    ANGELIC EXPLANATION 3: Antichrist’s violent CONFRONTATION
                        against the saints and all that is good in society requires that all of
                        his evil governments be replaced
REV. 15-16    CHRONOLOGICAL SECTION 4: BOWL JUDGMENTS destroy the evil
                        infrastructures in society (Psalm 2:9)
REV. 17-18    ANGELIC EXPLANATION 4: The SEDUCTION of society by Babylon’s
                        evil religion will permeate and infiltrate every social structure,
                        requiring that Babylon be totally destroyed
REV. 19-20    CHRONOLOGICAL SECTION 5: Jesus’ TRIUMPHAL ENTRY to
                        Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11-21:8)
REV. 21-22    ANGELIC EXPLANATION 5: The RESTORATION of all things
                        (Acts 3:21; Revelation 21:9-22:5)

The Book of The Revelation, A Simple Outline

The Book of The Revelation
A Simple Outline

INTRODUCTION:

This past Wednesday night, I taught another lesson on the Kingdom of God. In this lesson I taught that the Bible makes it clear that the Kingdom of God is now and not yet. I’ll use a couple of scriptural examples to illustrate this truth. First we read what Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Demons are driven out by the authority of God; therefore men are set free from Satan’s bondage by the rule and authority of God. This is the Kingdom of God now. But then we read in Revelation 11:15 that “the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud noises in heaven, which said: ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, and He will reign forever and forever.’” This is the second coming of Jesus and so the kingdom of God is not yet or still yet to come in its’ fullness. 

In the first coming of Jesus the Kingdom of God was seen in its’ power and authority over Satan, over nature, and over death! As a matter of fact, in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead with a new and glorified body, we have a tangible demonstration of His coming kingdom. In the resurrection of Jesus we see what is yet to come. It’s a taste and guarantee of what is to come for us. 

And that brings me to my subject today. My goal in this message is to share with you a simple outline of the Book of The Revelation (I took this outline from the teaching of Mike Bickle at IHOP with a few minor changes. I believe its layout is the simplest and clearest way to understand the book; also see the commentaries on Revelation by Robert Thomas). I will expand on this outline in the future looking at each section more in depth and what I believe it means. But as I share the basics of this outline with you this morning, I believe that it is really important to understand that what is behind the events in the Revelation is Jesus removing anyone and anything that is standing in opposition to the establishment of God’s Kingdom on the earth. When Jesus came to earth the first time His message was the Kingdom of God.  And the Kingdom of God was seen and manifested in Him. But as we all know, we have been living in the age or time when the Kingdom can either be received or rejected. That time will come to an end when Jesus comes the second time! At His Second Coming, He will release the 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls of wrath. These judgments will decimate the Antichrist kingdom that Satan has set up in an attempt to keep God’s Kingdom from being established on the earth. However, Satan will be defeated, and God’s Kingdom will come with irresistible force!

I want to go to the Book of Daniel to get a prophetic picture of what this will look like.

Daniel 2:36-45 (King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)

36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

"The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."

This is actually a fourth key in understanding the Book of the Revelation. Jesus is essentially establishing the Kingdom of God through the 21 judgments that are released. These are the chronological sections.

In the outline there are 5 chronological sections. And along with the five chronological sections, there are five angelic explanations. Because what happens in the chronological sections is so very intense, God explains to John and to the Church why these judgments are so intense. Also in these explanations, the Church is reassured that God is going to keep them. These judgments are being poured out on the Antichrist and his kingdom and not on the Church. These intense judgments are what is required to establish the eternal Kingdom of God on the earth. It will be a hard time but it will usher in the glory of God and the reward of the Saints.

To understand this will be very significant for those who are going through the Tribulation. They will need to know why the judgments are being poured out and why they are so severe, and that the judgments are not for them. Further, they will need to know that God will take care of the Church and also the remnant of Israel that will be saved.

If you can begin to understand this outline then you can begin to understand the Book of the Revelation.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully you are beginning to understand the reality of God’s redemptive plan. Life does have meaning and eternal purpose. What we have taught you from the Gospel in the stars as well as in the 7 Feasts of God, and now in the Book of The Revelation, is the eternal story of God.

This story is about God’s kingdom that was manifested in the first coming of Jesus. As we said, the mission of Jesus was clear, “repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” And that mission of establishing God’s Kingdom will be completed when Jesus comes the second time. It’s His heart.


As we go deeper into The Book of The Revelation, the relevant question for each of us today is this: where are we in this eternal story. Of all that we learn from the Book of the Revelation, the one central truth is this: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and on one comes to the Father except by Him. Our study in this amazing book is to draw our hearts closer to Him—the only One who is worthy and the only One who has the power to save us forever!

With that said, let’s take a look at the outline and structure of the Book of The Revelation.

30 Descriptions of Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived!

30 DESCRIPTIONS OF JESUS IN REV. 1-3

In Revelation 1:5-7 there are 7 descriptions of Jesus
1. Jesus (Rev. 1:5)
2. Christ (Rev. 1:5)
3. Faithful and true witness (Rev. 1:5; 3:7, 14)
4. Firstborn from the dead (Rev. 1:5) - similar to “the First” (Rev. 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13)
5. Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5), similar to King of kings (Rev. 19:16)
6. He who loved us and washed us and made us kings and priests (Rev. 1:5-6)
7. He is coming with clouds (Rev. 1:7; 3:11) – One who intervenes in history; He is not silent
In Revelation 1:10-18 there are 17 descriptions of Jesus
1. Loud voice, as of a trumpet (Rev. 1:10) similar to a faithful witness
2. His voice as the sound of many waters (Rev. 1:15)
3. I am the Alpha (Rev. 1:11; 22:13)
4. I am the Omega (Rev. 1:11; 22:13)
5. I am the First (Rev. 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13)
6. I am the Last (Rev. 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13)
7. In the midst of the seven lampstands (Rev. 1:13; 2:1)
8. Son of Man (Rev. 1:13) Dan. 7:13-14

9. Garment to the feet (high priest) and girded about the chest with a golden band (Rev. 1:13)
10. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow (Rev. 1:14)
11. His eyes like a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14; 2:18)
12. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace (Rev. 1:15; 2:18)
13. He had in His right hand seven stars (Rev. 1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1)
14. Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword (Rev. 1:16; 2:12)
15. His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength (Rev. 1:16)
16. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. (Rev. 1:18; 2:8)
17. Has keys of the kingdom: I have the keys of Hades and of Death (Rev. 1:18; 3:7)
In Revelation 2-3 there are 18 descriptions of Jesus (the last 6 are not in Revelation 1)
Note: Jesus holding the 7 stars and being “true” are mentioned twice (Rev. 2:1; 3:1, 7, 14).
1. Who holds the 7 stars in His right hand (Rev. 2:1; 3:1)
2. Who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands (Rev. 2:1)
3. The First (Rev. 2:8)
4. The Last (Rev. 2:8)
5. Who was dead and came to life (Rev. 2:8)
6. He who has the sharp two-edged sword (Rev. 2:12, 16; also Rev. 1:16; 19:15, 21)
7. Eyes like a flame of fire (Rev. 2:18)
8. Feet like fine brass (Rev. 2:18)
9. Has the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 3:1)
10. He who has the key of David (Rev. 3:7)
11. The Faithful Witness (Rev. 3:14)
12. The Beginning of the creation of God (Rev. 3:14)
13. The Son of God (Rev. 2:18)
14. I will come upon you as a thief (Rev. 3:3)
15. I am coming quickly (Rev .3:11)
16. The True Witness (Rev. 3:7, 14)
17. The Amen (Rev. 3:14)
18. He who is holy (Rev. 3:7)

Jesus, the wisest and greatest man whoever lived!

This is a word to those who are believers in Jesus and to those who think it is foolish to believe in Jesus. “At the literally mundane level, Jesus knew how to transform the molecular structure of water to make it wine. That knowledge also allowed him to take a few pieces of bread and some little fish and feed thousands of people. He could create matter from the energy he knew how to access from the heavens right where he was. Surely one who could play on the energy/matter equation like that could do anything. He knew how to transform the tissues of the human body from sickness to health and from death to life. He knew how to suspend gravity, interrupt weather patterns, and eliminate unfruitful trees without saw or ax. He only needed a word. In the ethical domain he brought an understanding of life that has influenced world thought more than any other. And one of the greatest testimonies to his intelligence is surely that He knew how to enter physical death, actually die, and then live on beyond death. He seized death by the throat and defeated it.” For those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you need never bow at the altar of secular idolatry! And for those who don’t believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, perhaps you should reconsider.

keys to Understanding the Book of The Revelation

KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION

(Keys open doors)

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever looked for the right key to open a door but could not find it? It is incredibly frustrating . . . until you put the right key in the lock and the door opens! Success! It is my desire to give you keys that will help unlock the meaning in the Book of the Revelation. Hopefully these keys will open up more insight and understanding which will subsequently lead to greater blessing for you from this amazing book.

I. Key number one: Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. . .”[i]

A. What is meant by “The Lord’s Day?”

1.  Some answer Sunday, the first day of the week. Yes, Sunday does belong to the Lord and it may mean that, but the scriptures nowhere call it “the Lord’s day.” And none of the Christian writings, for 100 years after Christ, ever call it “the Lord’s day.”

2. But there is a “Day of the Lord” spoken of by prophets, apostles and fathers of the Church. It is that day in which Isaiah says men shall hide in the rocks for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty (Isaiah 2:19-21); the day of which Joel describes as a day of destruction from the Almighty when the Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice out of Jerusalem, and the heavens and earth shall shake (Joel 3:16); Malachi says it will be a day which will burn like an oven and which the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:1-3); It is the day in which the Apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction” (the antichrist); The Apostle Peter said in II Peter 3:7 “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

3. Is the Apostle John saying that he in some sense was, by the power and person of the eternal Spirit, “in” that Day—the Day of the Lord? Before you dismiss this possibility I would like to remind you that in II Corinthians 12:2-4 the Apostle Paul said he was caught up into the third heavens, whether in the body or out, he didn’t know. He said he saw things that he was not allowed to speak. Perhaps God had reserved that revelation for the Apostle John? The point is that John was given a very important revelation of the end times!

Did not John say in Revelation 4:1 that he was “caught up into heaven?”[ii]

4. What is the difference between “The Lord’s Day” and “The Day of the Lord?”

What is the difference between the Lord’s people and the people of the Lord, or the Word of God and God’s Word? There is no difference. If John was somehow allowed to “see” the scenes of the Day of the Lord, the last days, and he wrote about what he saw, what then would that be? It would be what is written in the Book of the Revelation. It would be preeminently the revelation or apocalypse (the unveiling) of Jesus Christ when He comes to judge the world in righteousness. (Know that the Day of The Lord will be bad for the unbelievers but, fear not, because it will be GOOD for the believers!)

5. The themes of the Book of the Revelation are what other portions of the Word of God refer to as “The Great Day of the Lord.” It is apocalyptic,[iii] revealing what has been secret or veiled from beginning to end. First it the apocalypse of Jesus in His glorified state; then His revelation to the seven churches; next is the apocalypse of His 21 judgments upon the earth beginning with the seven seals, followed by the seven trumpets, and finally the seven bowls of wrath; it is the apocalypse of the destruction of both the harlot Babylon[iv] and the antichrist along with the false prophet. Jesus will literally be manifested, unveiled—with every eye seeing Him, along with His Church. Then will be the apocalypse of His Millennial Kingdom, the Great White Throne judgment of the unrighteous; and the destruction of death and the grave. This will be followed by the apocalypse of the final and perfected state of redemption forever!

6. This is a key to understanding the Book of the Revelation or the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. It is the Day of the Lord; it is the fulfillment of the plan and purpose of God in the last days. This is, I believe, what John was allowed to supernaturally see by the power and person of the Holy Spirit and write about in The Book of Revelation. “By the Spirit I was in the Day of the Lord.”

CONCLUSION: I want to end with a personal note to demonstrate the reality of our relationship with God “by the Spirit” and the hope we have in Him. (Wendy’s dream about Josh, our son who went to Heaven on March 31, 2019) I believe this dream came by the same Holy Spirit that spoke to John in the Revelation to comfort and encourage the Church down through the ages. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.   

“I had a dream we were at church. You and Connie were up front and Josh was in the middle. He kept trying to go up and he was happy. He was trying to tell y’all he was home. He had a new body. I can’t explain how it looked. I don’t have any words to explain. Connie had pictures of him when he was little. She was trying to hang on to him. He was saying he was home. I dreamed that twice. I don’t know what it all means but all I know is I woke up and I felt different this morning and I have struggled if I was supposed to tell you this. I wish I could describe his appearance. It was not anything I can compare to. It was beautiful brother Jimmy. He was glowing but not in a way we see on earth. The happiness was not different than what we have on earth.” (We will pick up right where we left off! We will be family and we will love each other like we do now. That part will not change. We will know each other. We will keep the beautiful memories that we made in this life. It will be heaven. I have prayed to God that He would let Josh know how much I love him and miss him. I believe this dream was God telling me that the message has been delivered and that Josh knows how much we love and miss him, and that he is at home and happy, and he will see us on the other side). The Book of the Revelation is God speaking to John through the Holy Spirit letting us know that the best is yet to come!

And that brings us to key number two.

II. Key number two is understanding the excursus of Revelation chapter 12.

1. An excursus is a digression in a narrative. It is seeing and describing the big picture in the middle of the story. It is parenthetical to the chronological story line.  It helps fit all of the different parts together for a better understanding.

2. Chapter 12 of Revelation gives the view of the unseen battle occurring throughout history and especially throughout the rest of the Book of The Revelation. This excursus or big picture view of history is important in understanding what is happening in the Book of the Revelation and why it’s happening.  

3. This chapter focuses on what events like the birth of Jesus looks like in the context of the spiritual war being waged between God and Satan. It gives a view of history concerning Israel, the Messiah, and the Church.

4. This excursus begins with a great sign in the heavens. The great sign is a woman, clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, and wearing a garland of twelve stars on her head. To be clothed with the sun is to be wrapped in the light of God. The position of the moon—under the woman’s feet—represents dominion. The crown of stars shows her regal standing. The twelve stars correlates to the twelve tribes of Israel. The woman symbolizes Israel, God’s chosen people. And she is in labor according to verse 2.

5. Verse 3 introduces us to another sign in heaven: a great, fiery, red dragon with seven heads crowned with seven diadems and ten horns. This beast, the complete perfection of evil on the earth, corresponds with the ten horns in Daniel 7.

The dragon itself is Satan, the old serpent represented in Isaiah 27 as leviathan whom God will punish. In this “perfected” kingdom of evil in the Tribulation Period, Satan will manifest himself through political leadership in the human realm. Keep in mind that throughout history Satan has been at war with “the

Seed of woman” (Genesis 3:15) by persecuting the woman, Israel, through whom “the Seed of woman,” the Messiah—even the Lord Jesus—would come. (This is the story that God also wrote in the stars)

6. In verse 4 the action begins as the dragon’s tail sweeps a third of the stars to the earth, signifying Satan’s alliance with a third of the angels in his rebellion against God. Satan is the chief rebel who rebelled against God in the beginning and a third of the angels joined him in that rebellion. That is what is being referred to here.

7. Israel, the woman, is ready to give birth, and the dragon waits ready to devour the child, knowing that the child is “the Seed of woman,” the One who will crush his head and redeem mankind. The child is Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah who is “to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5).

8. It is clear that Satan is attempting to destroy Jesus and His work from the time of His birth until His death on the cross. First, Herod was Satan’s instrument, commanding the slaughter of babies around Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the Son of God as an infant. Later he worked through “religious” leaders who sought to kill Him before His time. However Satan did not prevail. Instead, Jesus died on the cross by his own volition when He laid down His life, which was His mission and purpose in redeeming man back to God. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended back to the Father, or as verse 5 states it, He was “caught up to God and to His throne.”

9. In verse 6 the Holy Spirit takes John, and us, to the last days and the time leading up to the Lord leaving Heaven for the second time (the first time was when he became a man in the Person of Jesus Christ) and returning to the earth to complete the redemptive plan of God. In this verse the woman, Israel, flees into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God. This “time” in the wilderness is described as 1,260 days, 42 months, or three and a half years. (I personally believe God spoke of this time in these three ways, days, months and years, to make clear that it is NOT a symbolic time period as some wrongly believe). This will be the last half of the Tribulation Period, and it will be the most intense time ever on the earth! It should be noted here that just as God kept His protective hand on His people when His judgment fell on Egypt, so too during this time period will God keep His protective hand on His people (Israel and the Church) as His judgments are being poured out on the Antichrist Kingdom. (Pharaoh was a type of the end-time Antichrist)

10. The initial conflict of verse 4 is now expanded in verses 7-9. This is the battle between the fallen angels of Satan’s rebellion and the angels who remained faithful to God. Michael, the head of God’s faithful angel army, prevails and Satan and his rebellious angels are cast down to the earth.

11. In verses 10 and 11 we see the way that God protects His people is through the power of the blood of the Lamb. He did this through the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt when it was applied to the doors of the Israelites when the plague of death came into the land and took all the lives of the first born of Egypt. And He will do it again as the blood of The Lamb of God—even Jesus the Messiah—will protect His people, the Church and redeemed Israel, in the seven year Tribulation Period as God’s judgments are being poured out on a Satan and an unbelieving world!

12. When the dragon has been cast down to the earth, he really goes after the woman, Israel, to destroy her. This will be anti-Semitism at a level that will surpass anything we have ever known—even what Satan did to the Jews through Hitler and Nazi Germany. But God supernaturally protects Israel from Satan’s attacks for these last 3 and one half years of the Tribulation Period. These years are actually known as the Great Tribulation. Enraged because he can’t overcome the woman, Israel, he then attacks the “woman’s offspring” or the Church (verse 17).  As I have told you many times, the two people groups that Satan hates most intently are Israel and the Church. Why? He hates them because his destruction is tied to both Israel and the Church. First is Israel because Israel has to be in the land and be in Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 23:39 where He said to the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, “you will not see me again until you say, ‘blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” If there is no Israel to welcome Jesus back, then the prophecy of Jesus can’t be fulfilled and the devil has a little longer to continue in his rebellion and not be chained in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Secondly is Satan’s hatred of the Church because of the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24:14 “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” What end? Who’s end? Satan’s end! So if there is no Church to preach the Gospel then the end, Satan’s end, can’t come! Therefore Satan hates both Israel and the Church because God will use both to bring about his destruction!

As far as to how God will protect His people during this time, there will be cities of refuge where God’s people are in control. These places of safety will be in many areas that God will have prepared. As far as those who will be called to be martyred, just know “that not a hair of their head will be lost.” Even in death they will be victorious because they will ultimately rule and reign with Him forever! Shalom!

III. Key number three in understanding the Book of the Revelation is knowing the conditions that will exist at the end of the age, where things are moving.

In Genesis 28:12 the Bible says that “He (Jacob/Israel) dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

In Jacob’s dream, he saw a ladder that gave him access to the heavenly realm in the will of God. And Jesus also spoke of this ladder, when He was on the earth, in John 1:51, “He (Jesus) said to him (Nathanael) ‘Most assuredly I say to you, hereafter you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’’’

The Harlot Church (mystery Babylon) in the Seven Year Tribulation Period, at the end of the age, will also have access to a ladder. This ladder will be to the demonic realm, enabling the nations to escalate in their experience with sin and with demons. The people of Babel sought this connection under the leadership of Nimrod, a type of the Antichrist (Genesis 10:8-10; 11:1ff). In Hebrew the name “Babel” means “confusion,” but in the Babylonian language it means “gate of heaven.” The people of Babel were attempting to reach a demonic open heaven under the leadership of Nimrod. Sin’s effects that began in the Garden of Eden with the fall of Adam and Eve were escalating at the Tower of Babel. Instead of worshipping and obeying God, the Creator, they were moving further and further away from Him in the rebellion of the Serpent and the worship of other things (idolatry).

Satan and a multitude of demons will be cast down to the earth from their place in heaven. They will appear to people and interact with them at a level never known in history!

Revelation 12:7-9 “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon . . . but they did not prevail, nor was there a place found for them in heaven . . . The great Dragon was cast out, that Serpent of old, called the Devil was cast to the earth, and his angels . . . with him.”

Revelation 13:2 “The dragon gave him (the Antichrist) his power, and great authority.”

In the end times there will be an unprecedented interaction between the demonic and human realm, leading to a worldwide judgment. The time before Jesus’ Second Coming is compared to the days of Noah, including the demonic realm touching the earth and leading to an exponential escalation in violence and murder.

In Matthew 24:37 Jesus said concerning His Second Coming, “But as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of The Son of Man.”

The people in Genesis 6, the antediluvians or pre-flood people, walked in a “counterfeit” open heaven as demons interacted with humans in the natural realm in an evil way (Genesis 6:4; 2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6).[1] At that time on the earth there was an unprecedented connection between the natural realm and the demonic realm. It resulted in great violence, (remember, “the thief (Satan) comes only but to steal, kill and destroy . . . “John 10:10a) causing God to destroy the earth with the flood in Noah’s day (Genesis 6:7; 7:1-24).

Genesis 6:5-7, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that the very intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. v.6  . . . the Lord . . . was grieved in His heart . . . v.7 the Lord said, I will destroy man . . . from the face of the earth.”

Genesis 6:11-13, “The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them;

and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’”

John was surprised that the Harlot was the mother of harlots,[2] the source of false religion through history as well as being the primary source of false religion and abominations in the end times. Her offspring (false religion through history) will crescendo at the end of the age.

Revelation 17:5, “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth.”

The Harlot will have a murderous heart despite her humanitarian appearance (a false justice movement and so-called tolerance). John marveled at this mysterious plan, which will bring forth the salvation of Israel as it also purifies and empowers the Church to be used in the great end-time plan of God.  As we understand this prophecy, we will marvel like John as we feel the weightiness of what is in God’s heart.

Revelation 17:6, “I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”

 In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus spoke about what would happen at the end of the age, namely that both good and evil will come to fruition or be full grown. This is where things are going. These are the end-time trends.

24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'  28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  29 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'

Revelation 13:1-2 “And the Dragon stood upon the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. . . The Dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.”

The number seven means perfection and the number ten means completeness. At time of the end of the age, in the last world empire under the power and authority of Satan and the Antichrist, the seed of sin and rebellion that began in the Garden of Eden with the fall of Adam and Eve will be perfected. Evil will reach its’ pinnacle. And like in the days of Noah, God will have no choice but to destroy this wicked empire from the earth! Hence, this is the reason for the 21 judgments of the 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets and 7 Bowls of Wrath released by Jesus.  

These judgments of Jesus upon a corrupt and wicked earth will come through a Church that is also being perfected and completed. This will be a mature Church “without spot or wrinkle.” It will be a Church that will be a part of God’s plan through a supernatural release of intercession and the prophetic on a global scale.  This Church will see the unprecedented Presence and power of God—a ladder between the natural and spiritual realm—with a combination of what God released in the Exodus and in the Book of Acts—just as the kingdom of Antichrist will have a ladder of connection into the demonic realm. It will be the most unique and the intense time that planet earth has ever experienced! If you can understand what I have just said, you can understand why that there are those who say that even the first century Christians will line the balcony of Heaven to see and cheer on this last generation of God’s Church on the earth! I believe that my kids and grandkids will very likely be part of that final generation. May God give me the grace to help prepare them!

Now, as I have said and will say again and again, there will be some things that will not be fully understood until they are literally fulfilled. I believe that is how God planned it.   But, if you use these keys that we have taught on, you will be able to understand the Book of The Revelation in ways that you haven’t known before. And as The Revelation says in 1:3, “Blessed is he that reads and hears the words of this prophecy, and keeps those things which are written herein; for the time is at hand.”

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[1] Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were old, men of renown.

2 Peter 2:4-5 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven others when he brought a flood on the ungodly. . .

Jude 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under judgment of that great day

[2] Genesis 11:1-9 A one world order

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[i] John declares that he was literally “in Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” I believe that he could very possibly be saying that by the Spirit’s presence and power he had a front row seat to the end times or to the Day of the Lord. I say that because what follows in the book is a revelation of the Day of the Lord.

[ii] Revelation 4:1-2 “After these things I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking to me said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold a throne was open in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.” John is seeing these scenes by or through the Person of the Spirit.

[iii] The Greek word for apocalypse simply means to bring into full view what has been hidden or veiled. It is making known God’s end time plan.

[iv] The Harlot Babylon is Satan’s counterfeit kingdom and religion that will seduce the world, especially at the end of the age. It is “The Lie.”