Revelation, chapter 13, comments: the kingdom of the beast

The Kingdom of the Beast

1 ¶  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Revelation 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

A beast rises out of the sea here in verse 1 but Revelation 17:8 tells us that it is the same beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit.

Revelation 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Some commentators say that the sea represents the mass of humanity and it does appear that way as another beast comes out of the earth in a few verses from now. Others say the sea represents the area, the Mediterranean Sea from where he arises.

Revelation 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Think of the possibility of the sea representing the mass of people, the sea of humanity, and the earth representing religion as modern day paganism is often referred to as earth religion. This beast is a man of the people. There are People’s Republics. Some early American political leaders referred to, “vox populi vox dei,” the voice of the people is the voice of God. America is a big proponent of one man-one vote, democratic rule, around the world, which sometimes leads to chaos and slaughter in cultures where the masses are easily manipulated by clerics and politicians with a violent agenda.

The metaphorical aspect of this creature is represented by him having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns as does Satan in the previous chapter as does the woman in chapter 17 where it is explained that the seven heads represent seven mountains and the ten horns, kings. This beast is characterized by blasphemy against God.

The beast comes quickly as a leopard, with the power of a bear, and the fierceness of a lion, having great authority from Satan to do his bidding on earth. See similar typology in Daniel, chapter 7.

The beast that came as a conqueror in the seals earlier, whose spirit ascended out of Hell, physically came from the mass of people, perhaps as an elected political leader or perhaps simply a person of the people with no attachment to the power structure. Remember that Hitler was elected to office in 1933 and one of Stalin’s slogans was, “Peace, Jobs, and Democracy.”

3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

This beast receives a head wound. Is this a reference to an assassination attempt? And does the following verse in Zechariah apply to this?

Zechariah 11:17  Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

The world marvels that this beast is still alive after such a blow.

4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The world outright worships Satan as the power behind the beast. There is no mistake here. No deception. They are worshipping the enemy because the beast must claim that his healing is from Satan. Well, the Irish have a saying, ‘the devil takes care of his own.’

5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Again, here as in chapters 11 and 12 we are receiving an overview. First, the two witnesses preach for 3 and ½ years, the Jews are driven into the wilderness for 3 and ½ years, and the beast speaks blasphemies and great things for 3 and ½ years. This is the time of the Great Tribulation.

6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9  If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The beast blasphemes God, His name, Heaven, and those that dwell there. Think of such things today as Richard Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion. Will the beast curse God directly or will he deny God’s existence like Dawkins, mocking those who believe and trust in Him? It appears that he will curse God as previous statements have shown that people know who is causing their problems.

Revelation 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Revelation 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Daniel, in referring prophetically and  literally to the great evil type of Antichrist, Antiochus Epiphanes, one of Judea’s Greek rulers who did so much horrific violence to them in between the years of the writing of the Old and the New Testament, spoke of this character, not uncommon in history, as a type of this beast.

Daniel 11:36  And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37  Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38  But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

An important point of Bible prophecy, as touched on before in discussing Satan in Ezekiel and Isaiah, is that when the Holy Spirit gave a writer specific wisdom about a person contemporary to or in the near future of the writer, a description is given that also gives us information about another person. We must be careful, though, in our declarations and assumptions because we shouldn’t take away the relevance of the immediate context to the writer.  When you read Daniel 11 in context from the beginning it is clearly talking about Alexander the Great and his four generals who inherit his conquests. Understand that the Old Testament prophets had a limited view and understanding of what was to come and Revelation is the key to interpreting them, not the other way around, as Jesus’ statements in the gospels are the way to interpret the Law given to Moses not vice versa. [See Jesus define Exodus 20:13 in Matthew 19:18 although He quotes the commandment as it is in Exodus again in Matthew 5:21.]

Daniel 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Verse 7 here in chapter 13 shows he makes martyrs of many believers, making war with the saints.

The Beast makes war on the saints so there must be believers here on earth when he arrives on the scene. His is triumphant for a time in his slaughter of Christ’s people. He receives a serious head wound and people will worship him and Satan, but God’s people will not.

    11 ¶  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Another beast comes out of the earth. He is the false prophet.

Revelation 19:20a  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him…..

 If this earth represents religion as the sea can represent the people, then we have a political beast followed by a beast of religion. He looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. He appears to be a spiritual leader of peace and the humility of Christ but his words are that of the Devil.

This beast has equal authority with the first beast and he performs great wonders. Jesus gave a warning.

Matthew 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

It’s at this point that the second beast has an image of the first beast that recovered miraculously from the head wound and causes all to worship it. This might happen as things get really bad for his control during the ministry of God’s two witnesses with natural disaster and God’s hand of judgment causing widespread panic. He must assert control over a terrified population. He then requires a mark to be placed in the right hand or forehead of every person so that no one can do any business without this mark. Those who don’t worship the image of the first beast are killed. The number of the beast that is the mark that is placed in the right hand or forehead of the people is 666. The early church father, Irenaeus, commented on an error by some copyists that led it to be written as 616, so that nonsense can be safely dismissed when you hear an unbeliever or skeptic declare it, just like the fictitious Gospel of Judas, which Irenaeus also dealt with satisfactorily 1800 years ago.

Could this mean that in chapter 11 when the beast overcomes the two witnesses and they are taken to heaven that his reign tightens in his paranoia or in the other beast’s desire to keep at least the image of the fallen first beast at the head of government?

Revelation 12:10-17 comments: the accuser cast down

10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Here is a hint of when this is taking place as Satan is finally cast down to earth and has no place to speak accusingly of the believer, of God’s people, before Him. Satan accused the brethren night and day before God, so, as in Job, he still had access to God’s throne even after he lost his place of authority as the anointed cherub that covereth.

Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

And this was not just a one-time thing.

Job 2:1  Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

An important point here is that Christ’s people overcome not by war with guns and bullets but by Christ’s blood, their witness, and by being willing to die for Christ. One example of the great conflict between worldly Christianity and the faith of the Bible is the fictional work from the 1800’s entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In it the main character dies rather than violate his submission to Christ in hurting others as it is demanded that he become a wicked overseer, prompting the salvation of at least one of his own murderers at his death. The world vilifies Tom and calling someone an, “Uncle Tom,” is an insult in the black community as cooperating with whites in their presumed oppression. However, Tom is the most Christ-like character in fiction. Conservative Christians will glorify a man who goes to war and kills many people before they will glorify someone willing to die for Christ so, white or black, the worldly Christian would not be able to face being killed for Christ as many martyrs have done and are doing now in other parts of the world.

So, when someone says that they would never take the mark of the beast it is almost laughable. A willingness to die for Christ is not a character trait of most modern day Christians. Calling in the marines, maybe, but not dying for Christ in a triumphant entry into eternity.

    12 ¶  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

At this time, it is better to be in heaven, the abode of God and the blessed dead, than to live on the earth. This passage seems to make it clear that Satan’s final casting down will be to earth during this Great Tribulation.

The woman, in my estimation a reference to Israel, is given supernatural power to escape as God did for the Hebrews in the Exodus.

Exodus 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

For three and a half years, a time, times, and half a time, the remnant of Israel is protected from the wrath of Satan while the two witnesses torment Satan’s people, some of whom, as we saw, wind up giving glory to God.

Satan uses water as a flood to try to destroy Israel. This disaster is prevented by the earth absorbing the water. Is this figurative language representing something other than that which is literally stated? It doesn’t appear so considering the literal natural disasters that are listed in Revelation. But, note this use of the word flood in Daniel.

Daniel 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel 11:22  And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

Notice also how a flood is used as a word symbol for a great river in Joshua, chapter 24. 

An angry and perhaps frustrated Satan leaves the Jews in the wilderness to return to make war on the remnant. They follow the commandments of God and trust in Christ. Keeping in the context of John’s writing and understanding let us look at other remarks he made under the inspiration of God.

1John 3:20 ¶  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

    23 ¶  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Remember how John defined overcoming mentioned in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 and also in chapter 21:7 to come? The key is in his first letter as I pointed out previously.

1John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Beware of preachers trying to put the Christian back under the Law given to Moses, the civil and religious law of the Hebrews, which in no way justifies us today.

Galatians 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

It is important to note that later the testimony of Christ is said to be the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

See this prophecy of the last two thousand years of history and this Great Tribulation focusing on the Jewish experience fully explained in Matthew 24.

The Jews flee to the wilderness. Satan again tries to destroy them just like so many times in history but realizing he cannot destroy the Jews returns in verse 17 to his war on the saints revealed in the next chapter. Again in the next chapter we see the 3 ½ years from a different perspective, a different angle of the word-picture presented by Christ to John.

Revelation 12:6-9 comments: war in Heaven

6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

During the 3 ½ years of 360 days each as per the ancient calculation, which is 1260 days, the Jews will have to flee the most intense persecution of their entire existence. If those surviving Jews have to hide in the remote vastness of, for instance, Edom, during the Great Tribulation then who are those people living in Jerusalem? Muslims?

Matthew 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Deuteronomy 4:30  When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Michael was introduced in Daniel as the specific angel representing Israel.

Daniel 10:13  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. …21  But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. [Keep in mind that Daniel doesn’t see or, perhaps, understand the church age.]

Jude 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Remember, Satan as in Eden and had a respected position there, perhaps as God’s priest, based on what he wore.

Ezekiel 28:13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

He plotted the overthrow of God’s heavenly order in his mind.

Isaiah 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

You can see that he wished to be a god like God and this is the idea he tried to plant in Adam and Eve’s heads.

Genesis 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Notice what Jesus said when the seventy returned.

Luke 10:17 ¶  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Here verse 9 is a link showing that Satan’s true nature is reptilian in form. See this cross-reference and then remember Job, chapter 41.

Isaiah 27:1 ¶  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

Revelation 12:1-5 comments: Satan rebels

Where the surviving Jews spend 3 ½ years

Do not make the error of trying to think of these things as necessarily one event after another but as a view, a picture made of words, showing you what will happen. Imagine, not a description of progressive events, but more like a painting, showing everything at once to you in a cascade of words, as to John in his vision.

1 ¶  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

This refers to Israel who will give birth to Christ.

Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Here is an interesting cross reference having to do with Joseph.

Genesis 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

Read the prophet Hosea for Israel as an unfaithful wife.

Some historical commentators viewed the woman as the church itself while some American writers regarded the man-child in verse 5 to come as the United States, but this has been mentioned previously and is so wrong it need not be mentioned again.

Israel suffered greatly for her apostasy and Christ came into Israel as a Jew when the Roman Empire ruled them and they had lost all their former glory under David and Solomon. Not long after His resurrection, about forty years, Herod’s version of the Temple was destroyed by the Romans as the result of an insurrection against them by the Jews. Israel struggled and labored spiritually, politically, and physically before giving birth, in a manner of speaking, to Christ.

3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

This is clearly Satan, who is also known as Lucifer. He is described in part physically in Job 41 as the description there is of a dragon, what we since the 1800’s have called a dinosaur. The last verse in the chapter is revealing.

Note that leviathan in the following references simply a large creature, just as the word whale does, and is not referring to a specific species or other taxonomic classification, which were invented after this Bible was translated and cannot be read back into it honestly.

Genesis 1:21  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:26  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

Job 41:1 ¶  Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 2  Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3  Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? 4  Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 5  Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6  Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? 7  Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 8  Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. 9  Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10  None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

    11 ¶  Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12  I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 13  Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? 14  Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. 15  His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 16  One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. 17  They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 18  By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19  Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20  Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 21  His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 22  In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. 23  The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 24  His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 25  When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26  The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 27  He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. 28  The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 29  Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 30  Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31  He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 32  He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. 33  Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. 34  He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

Notice another cross-reference in Isaiah.

Isaiah 27:1 ¶  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

We have his color, red, and this symbology, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads which will be discussed more in chapters 13 and 17.

This is a reference to his nature and that over which he rules. As for Red, remember the red horse of the second seal?

Revelation 6:4  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The crimson stain of our sin?

Isaiah 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Red is a very significant color. It was the color of baby Esau.

Genesis 25:25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

And, among other things, it was in the name of the sea through which God safely led the Hebrews, like the passage He makes for Christians through death and destruction.

What about the seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads?

Revelation 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

This woman, whom we will discuss later, possesses these seven heads and ten horns. She sits upon a scarlet colored beast. Scarlet is synonymous with red or crimson.

Isaiah 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Let’s not jump ahead as there are many things to review before we get to those explanations, which like chapters 11 and 12, take us out of the linear exposition of events and repeat what is happening in the 3 ½ year time frame.

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

Satan led the third part of the stars of heaven, which we have established as angels, and they were cast to earth. This is perhaps history and whether or not it is worthy of discussion. Evidence shows us that Satan’s rebellion began a long time ago in our sense of linear history and time. Events in the spiritual world do not have to happen that way, as we are seeing, but happen in what, to us, would seem like a cascade effect, more like a picture than one after another events.

Remember the phrase and also after that Genesis 6:4 which I will quote in a little bit.

As the Holy Ghost gave inspiration to the writers of the Old Testament they wove a description of Satan into their descriptions of human kings and even beasts. Here, Ezekiel starts out and ends up talking about the king of Tyre, who was the very powerful ruler of that city and Phoenicia, whose navy traveled the world, including rounding Africa and perhaps even reaching what are today called the Americas. But, in the description a key is given that could only apply to Satan.

Ezekiel 28:13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

In addition, Satan, the adversary, also known as Lucifer, had his motivations exposed early on. In speaking to the king of Babylon, Isaiah gives us this;

Isaiah 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

 By a literal view of the text and evidence available, this happened in Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve. You might say that it was before that, between verses one and two of Genesis, called the Gap Theory, but that is speculation not brought on by depending on the text and the cross-references.

The evidence we have in the Bible shows the sons of God, whose visible representatives are called angels, like any visible representative of God, man on earth, or even a church, is called an angel, which we have already discussed as having in part succumbed to Satan’s pride and temptation.

The question is, do these verses following have to do with this mention in Revelation, chapter 12? Or is 12 referring to a future event? Here is the literal history;

Genesis 6:1 ¶  And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2  That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 ¶  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4 ¶  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Jude 1:6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

In any event, Satan knew Christ was coming, and wanted to kill Him, but did not know when.

Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Jeremiah 31:22  How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.

This gives us a spiritual reason why Israel was so deceived and spiritually buffeted about as Satan did everything in his power to destroy them both physically and spiritually. We must remember, though, that Satan could go no further than God allowed. We have that certainty from reading the book of Job. It also explains why he tested and tempted Christ to try to have Him seek a crown before a cross, thus overthrowing God’s plan.

Luke 4:1 ¶  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10  For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Ruling the nations with a rod of iron will occur in the millennial reign of Christ. See this in a great chapter on the rising up of the kings of the earth as spelled out later in Revelation at the end of the millennium; Psalm 2.

Psalm 2:1 ¶  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

    7 ¶  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

    10 ¶  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

This promise is given in chapter 2 of Revelation, as well, to those who reign with Christ.

Revelation 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28  And I will give him the morning star.

Of course, Christ is the morning star (not Satan, as the NIV states in Isaiah 14:12).

Revelation 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

After His ascension to Heaven  Jesus is said to be seated next to God the Father, as a symbol of His authority and place, with God, as God.

Psalm 110:1  « A Psalm of David. » The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Matthew 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mark 16:19  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Luke 22:69  Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

Revelation, chapter 11, comments: two witnesses

The two witnesses 3 ½ year ministry

1 ¶  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

There is a literal temple here, as the Gentiles will tread its outer court for 3 and a ½ years, which is the time of the Great Tribulation as it was the time of the great drought of Elijah’s time, as that is the number of chapters (42 months) in the book of Job, a book about God’s person suffering.

Ezekiel writes about a third temple as his description does not seem to fit either Solomon’s temple, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, or Herod’s version, destroyed by the Romans in AD70, decades prior to this writing. There is a group of devout Jews who call themselves the Temple Mount Faithful, whose website is templemountfaithful.org. They want to set the cornerstone to rebuild the temple. When their leaders die there will be others, you can rest assured. So, it is not an unknown impulse in modern Judaism, to rebuild the temple.

The temple is being measured except for Solomon’s Porch, the outermost court, which is the only place that Gentiles, even Roman citizens in Herod’s day, were allowed to come providing their behavior was good. It is mentioned in John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12. Notice that the worshippers in the temple are also being measured. Jerusalem, along with the outer court, are tread upon for this period of time.

Luke 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Daniel 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

In Daniel there are interesting additional times mentioned of 1290 days and 1335 days and 2300 days which are thought by some to be a reference to years. In fact, the founder of the Millerites who eventually became the Seventh Day Adventists used these as years to get to an end times date in the 1840’s.(17)  These days as years have also been used to add up to 1776, as the founding of America, to justify making the United States to be the stone that was cut without hands that became a great mountain and covered the whole earth in Daniel 2:35, 45.(18) There is a great danger in trying to set the exact date as the calendars don’t match up, having changed since then, and prophecy is twisted to fit the agenda of the speaker on it so often. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples;

Acts 1:6 ¶  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

To gleefully say, “Aha! Then, since God didn’t say day or hour I can know that!” is the beginning of a journey down a long and confusing road.

Here, Paul mentions this time.

Romans 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

(17) Ruth Alden Doan, The Miller Heresy, Millennialism, and American Culture (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1987), 33.

(18) Fountain E. Pitts, A Defence of Armageddon or Our Great Country Foretold in the Holy Scriptures In two discourses, Delivered in the Capitol of the United States, at the request of several members of Congress, on the anniversary of Washington's birthday, 1857 (Baltimore: J.W. Bull Publishers, 1859),23. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12264015W/A_defence_of_Armageddon

    3 ¶  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Breaking this passage down verse by verse;

3 ¶  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

This mirrors the first verse in that the two witnesses will prophesy 3 ½ years based on the 360 day year. The two witnesses, said to be prophets in verse 10, will preach God’s word for the future during the time of the Tribulation. Remember, power is authority, not just strength.

Luke 4:36  And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

1Corinthians 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Revelation 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Sackcloth is a reference to coarse material like putting on burlap from old feed bags for farm animals as a sign of mourning.

Psalm 30:11  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

Psalm 35:13  But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Zechariah 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? 5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Who are these two witnesses that represent God on earth? Although some commentators in history believed they were Enoch and Elijah because they did not die when they were on earth we have a hint in the episode where Christ is transfigured before a small group of the Apostles, as He gives them a taste of how He will appear to those in His millennial reign on earth.

Matthew 16:28  Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. 17:1 ¶  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias [Elijah from Greek] talking with him. 4  Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

People clearly try to interrupt the efforts of the two witnesses and this is how they are dealt with, a supernatural weapon before noted in reference to God.

Psalm 18:8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

Remember that Elijah called fire down from heaven.

2Kings 1:9 ¶  Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10  And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11  Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12  And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

These extraordinary witnesses have a great deal of discretion on what they will do, having the ability to cause drought, power over waters to turn them into blood, and unleash plagues, as much as they want. We should note these events that follow as which ones come from them. That’s three and a half years of power to cause immense suffering. These events are mentioned throughout the book of Revelation.

7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

The beast that ascended out of Hell will overcome these witnesses and kill them. This will not happen until toward the end of the 3 ½ years. This gives us a hint of the identity of the angel that is the king over the bottomless pit.

Revelation 9:11  And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Remember, he is the destroyer. No other beast, a term that elsewhere in the Revelation refers to an animal-like creature like the cherubim or living creatures around the throne of God, of evil has been referenced yet other than the one from the bottomless pit.

The city referred to, the locus of the witnesses’ activities, is Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Cable TV or some future version of that technology will show their bodies to the world. People are refusing to bury them, probably even to touch them for fear. It will be a time of rejoicing. My thinking is that they will have caused a great many catastrophes we will read about next and a lost world will be so relieved when they are “gone.”

11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

God’s Spirit revives them. Many preachers insist they are beheaded but the text doesn’t say that so we should not take that too dogmatically. Of course, the picture of them standing up and picking up their heads and carrying them is dramatic but may not be true. They were overcome by the beast, killed, and then rose again from the dead.

The is the third time that the phrase Come up hither is used in the Bible.

Proverbs 25:7  For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

Revelation 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Now the trouble starts again with an earthquake but now the remnant gives glory to God. This must give us pause as when the sixth trumpet blew in 9:13 those who were not slain did not repent of their sins nor did they stop doing them.

9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Remember how in the sixth seal  in 6:12 every man wanted refuge from the wrath of Christ, so they knew who was causing their trouble.

Revelation 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

So, does this mean that repentance from fear is not acceptable? If you prayed a prayer to get saved just because you were afraid of Hell were you actually saved? After the terrorist attack on 9/11 there was a big and temporary boost in church attendance. Did that mean anything at all? Judgment is continuing on this earth at this time without stopping simply because people know who is delivering it and are afraid. I have questioned persons who prayed a prayer at a preacher’s insistence and they did not necessarily believe that Christ rose from the dead or was God or even gave it much consideration. They simply wanted a better life because their choices had led them down a bad road or they had grown to be terrified of going to Hell. Were they really saved or had some preacher done them a great disservice?

    14 ¶  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

The seventh trumpet sounds and it is announced that Christ is assuming control of all the kingdoms of earth, to come and rule physically. Of His rule there will be no end.

Isaiah 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Among other things the elders announce that God’s wrath has come and judgment.

Revelation 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

God and Christ are one God who is eternal.

Deuteronomy 32:40  For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

Isaiah 57:15a  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity…

Revelation 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;…8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The time of judgment of mankind is upon them.

Daniel 12: 1 ¶  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3  And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Matthew 25: 31 ¶  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

What does it mean to say, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth?  Not meaning to sound like a radical environmentalist I must say that one of the symptoms of a wicked heart is to hold in contempt that which belongs to someone else. Those who have destroyed God’s earth, a physical place, a physical object, will suffer destruction as part of their sin against a holy God. The earth and all that is in it is God’s property.

Exodus 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Psalm 24:1  « A Psalm of David. » The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 50:10  For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11  I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

The concept of private property only applies to relations between men. You have no private property, if you are a Christian, in regards to God. We acknowledge that all things are His possession, over which we are mere stewards. He will hold mankind accountable for the massive destruction of the earth in the pursuit of wealth and ease of living. Decimated rain forests, sludge filled bays, poisoned water supplies, and polluted countrysides will not go unpunished. What God does with the earth is irrelevant because it is His property and He has the ability to recreate and restore. Mankind is a steward of God’s property and not always a very good one. But, this is just a thought on that phrase and there are other takes on it than what I’ve said.

Verse 19 shows us where the Ark of the Covenant is. It is not in some village in Ethiopia or buried under the former Jerusalem temple site. The last time it was seen, as mentioned in the Bible, was here;

2Chronicles 35:3  And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

Here is another earthquake, the fourth of five mentions in Revelation. There is a rapture/resurrection here. Read Matthew 24 and also see;

1Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Now, from another perspective we will see the same 3 ½ years.

Revelation, chapter 10, comments: the end of history

1 ¶  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

This angel descends from heaven in a cloud and has a rainbow on his head, a face glowing like the sun, and his feet looking like they are on fire. We have to ask ourselves what is the meaning of what John is seeing. What does this angel represent? Below are interesting cross-references.

God’s appearing in a cloud.

Exodus16:10  And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

Leviticus 16:2  And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

Psalm 97:2  Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

The promise of the rainbow.

Genesis 9:13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

A rainbow around the throne of God.

Revelation 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

A face glowing like the sun.

Exodus 34:28 ¶  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Revelation 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Notice how the visions of heavenly beings are so profound and stark in contrast to the earthly.

Daniel 10:5  Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6  His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

2  And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

Even if by some remote chance we would have all agreed on what the Seven Thunders said we aren’t going to get the chance to find out. This angel has a small book open.

5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Daniel 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Human history’s final act.

Luke 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Romans 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

History from the human perspective is about to end. It is all coming to a point of confrontation. No more chances. No more evil of mankind being filled. Its already filled to the brim and boiling over. When the seventh angel sounds a rapture/resurrection, the marriage supper of the lamb, and the return to seize control of the earth’s kingdoms proceeds.

Notice the phrase voice of the seventh angel and then cross-reference back to this verse to keep from confusion.

Revelation 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

    8 ¶  And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

John is told to eat the little book and it tastes sweet but is bitter in his stomach. We have other instances where prophets are told to eat written words but in this case they are bitter in the prophet’s stomach. God’s word is sweet to us now but in this coming time, the wrath to come, will be bitter in the extreme. John’s writings for the last two thousand years have been reviewed and studied by many nations, languages, and rulers hoping to understand their place in the end times.

Next, we see the time framed by these chapters repeated from a different point of view.