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REVELATION 19

REVELATION 19

Survey of the chapter
In 18:20 the call came to the heavens, and in particular to the holy apostles and prophets, to rejoice that God had judged the great whore. In this chapter we have the response to that call. There follows the description of the coming of Christ to judge, and the consequences for the armies of the beast.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-6	Rejoicing that the judgement of the whore has taken place
(b)	Verses 7-10	Rejoicing that the marriage of the Lamb has come
(c)	Verses 11-16	Intervention by our great God and Saviour
(d)	Verses 17-21	Invitation to the supper of the great God

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION CHAPTER 19, VERSES 1 TO 10:

19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

19:2 For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.

19:3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great.

19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

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.

(a) Verses 1-6 Rejoicing that the judgement of the whore has taken place

19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven- on earth the whore dominated “peoples, multitudes, and nations, and tongues”, 17:15. These were the Devil’s people, but now God’s people rejoice in heaven over His triumph. They are no longer divided into nations and language-groupings, for such things are not relevant in heaven. Despite being “much people”, they rejoice with one great voice, united in their praise of God.
Saying, Alleluia- this is the equivalent to the Old Testament “Hallelujah”. meaning “Praise to God”. That which the psalmist anticipated is coming to pass.
Salvation- God alone could rescue the earth from the tyranny of the whore, and at last He has done it, and the salvation is attributed to Him alone.
And glory- the whore sought glory for herself, but this has come to an end, and glory is given only to God.
And honour- whereas glory is official, honour is moral, and indicates that God has dealt with the whore in a manner compatible with His character. A whore is by definition dishonourable, but she has not been dealt with after her character, but after God’s. He has met and defeated dishonour by honour.
And power- the whore had built up power and influence over the centuries, but it has all come to nought now that God has exerted His rights, and destroyed her.
Unto the Lord our God- the earth at this time will be filled with those who worship a man as god, and by so doing, ascribe god-hood to Satan, which is what he has striven for from the outset. He has been completely defeated, and now heaven is filled with those who recognise His claims over them, and give worship to Him.

19:2 For true and righteous are His judgements: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.

For true and righteous are His judgements- those in heaven rejoice that Gods judgements are true to His nature, the one true God, and are also strictly correct. He can never be bribed, as the kings of the earth had been so as to give allegiance and honour to the whore. He can be relied upon to assess things without any miscarriage of justice. After all, He Himself is the Absolute Standard of justice and truth.
For He hath judged the great whore- not only does heaven rejoice that God is true and righteous in His judgements, but that He has put that judgement into effect. For long centuries, in His wisdom, this did not happen, but now it has. The time has come for the Bride of the Lamb to be revealed to earth, and her rival must be removed first. The judgement of the great whore is in chapter 18, where she is likened to a city, so the city and the woman are the same, and the two chapters speak of the same system. In chapter 17 it was the damage she inficted on men, but in chapter 18 it is the destruction inflicted on her by God.
Which did corrupt the earth with her fornication- none only was the whore responsible for corrupting the morals of men, she also enticed them away from God, and ultimately paved the way for antichrist to be worshipped. When Israel went into idolatry, the prophets often spoke of it as adultery, for the nation was the wife of Jehovah. Here, fornication is in view, for the nations had no relationship with God to break off.
And hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand- ever since the time of Babel, the Babylon-principle has been behind the events of earth, and in particular, the persecution of the true people of God. At last the time of recompense for the accumulated evils of the centuries has come. We have read in 18:24 that “in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth”.

19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

And again they said, Alleluia- this double ascription of praise shows the fervency of their feelings, and it is an Alleluia that shall resound throughout all eternity.
And her smoke rose up for ever and ever- if the ascription of praise lasts for ever, so does the remembrance of the wicked system centred in Babylon. But she will only be remembered as a burning wreck, not as a beautiful bride, as in the case of the Lamb’s wife.

19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne- those who administer for God, and those who guard the interests of the earth both worship God for what He has done in judging the great whore, for they know she was a threat to God’s interests, and to those of the men of earth also.
Saying, Amen; Alleluia- they add their Amen to what the saints in heaven say, and follow up with their own Alleluia, for they know what went on behind the scenes through the centuries. This is the last time the four and twenty elders are mentioned specifically, although they are probably meant by the “they” of 20:4.

19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great.

And a voice came out of the throne- since this voice calls to all God’s servants, which encompasses angels and men, the voice cannot be of an angel or a man. Could we say it is the metaphorical voice of the throne, that which sums up the demands of that throne? There had been voices from the throne in 11:19. On the other hand, the voice does say “our God”, suggesting it is a real person speaking.
Saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great- this is probably a call to believers on earth to join in the praise of heaven. In particular it would refer to the remnant of Israel, and also to the multitude of Gentiles saved out of the Great Tribulation.

19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude- there is a three-fold description of the praise of this company. It is a multitude, so it is people that are praising. Like those in heaven in verse 1, despite being many they speak with one voice.
And as the voice of many waters- again there is one voice, but this time the over-powering sound is noticed. They drown out all competition.
And as the voice of mighty thunderings- this is the awe-inspiring nature of their praise. Like a mighty thunder roll, it demands attention.
Saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth- this is the fourth Alleluia of the chapter, and impresses us with the exuberance of the heavenly singers. Before, the praise was to do with God’s judgements, so in a sense was for negative things. Here it is plainly positive, as they rejoice in the reign of the one who has shown Himself to be all-powerful. The long reign of the Devil and his agents is over, and the kingdom of God is about to manifest itself on the earth. This has been anticipated throughout the book, for instance in chapter 11:15. Indeed, it has been anticipated from the very beginning of time, for the Lord Jesus spoke of “the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”, Matthew 25:34. Alas, the Prince of this world, the Devil, sought to establish his kingdom instead. He is now seen to be utterly frustrated. Instead of being on the throne, in 20:3 he is shut up in the deepest dungeon.

(b) Verses 7-10 Rejoicing that the marriage of the Lamb has come

19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him- if the kingdom of God is about to be manifest, and Christ is the one manifesting it, then those who shall reign with Him must be prepared. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him”, 2 Timothy 2:12. This is a cause of great rejoicing, and a reason to honour God, for He has worked through the centuries to achieve this object, even of forming a company to be the bride of His Son. He said at the beginning that it was not good that the man should be alone, and this was true of the first Adam, and also of the last Adam.
For the marriage of the Lamb is come- in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was the wife of Jehovah. He had drawn her to Himself into the wilderness, and proposed to her at Sinai, and she accepted. The nation was unfaithful to Him, however, and instead of being true to the covenant, in the words of Jeremiah 31:32, “which My covenant they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord”. The major way in which they broke the marriage-covenant of Sinai was by descending into idolatry, thus breaking the first two commandments. The prophets likened this to adultery. In a future day God will make a new covenant with the nation of Israel, totally different to the law-covenant at Sinai. It will be a grace-covenant on the basis of Calvary.
Now however, the nation having rejected Christ, God had revealed His plan to provide a bride for Christ personally, suited to the fact that He has become man. He has purchased Himself a bride at Calvary, for “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it”, Ephesians 5:23.
And His wife hath made herself ready- in Israel under the betrothal system, from the time a woman was espoused to a husband, she was legally reckoned to be his wife. We see this in the case of Mary and Joseph, for the angel spoke of “Mary thy wife”, Matthew 1:20, even though they were not married. This was because they were betrothed. This is why it is the Lamb’s wife that has made herself ready, even though the wedding has not yet taken place. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to tell them “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”, 2 Corinthians 11:2.
There is a real sense in which the Lamb has made her ready, for He has loved, purchased, sanctified, cleansed, nourished and cherished her, to use the phrases found in Ephesians 5. The Lamb Himself is without blemish and without spot, 1 Peter 1:19, and it is necessary for her to be this also, so that she may be meet or suitable for Him. He will ensure that He can present the church to Himself, a church that is glorious, “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing”.
Since the church has been espoused or betrothed to one husband, it is important that her affections be not divided. So the wife must make herself ready by being loyal and true to her beloved, and not allowing anything to come between them. She must also prepare for her wedding day. In olden times, an unmarried woman was called a spinster, for she was reckoned to be preparing her trousseau, spinning and sewing so that she could be acceptable to her husband on the wedding day. So it is that true believers are engaged in those things which will contribute to the beauty of the bride on the wedding day.

19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white- that which she had prepared was approved by heaven, and she was allowed to wear it. It was the custom in the east for the wedding guests to be given a wedding garment. See Matthew 22:1
, but the bride here has provided her own. It is of fine linen, the product of earth, yet it was the material that was used to clothe the priests in the tabernacle and temple, so it is the choice of heaven. These garments are not soiled with the defilements of earth, but they shine in all their stunning whiteness.
For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints- this signifies the accumulated works of the saints as they have given expression to their faith by the doing of works. They had not been saved by works, but had been saved unto good works, Ephesians 2:10. Many if not most of those works had been hidden, but now the time has come for them to be put on display, not for the glory of the bride, but the bridegroom.

19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

And he saith unto me, Write- special attention is drawn to the next statement by the word “write”. John had been instructed to write in a general way in 1:11, but twice the command comes again. In 14:13 John was commanded to write the blessing for those who die in the Lord. Here the blessing is to be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb- there is no record of this taking place in heaven, so the supper is on earth, even though the marriage ceremony is in heaven. Those called or invited to the supper are the saved of the Old Testament, and the Tribulation Period, summoned to wonder at what God has done during this present age. John the Baptist described himself as the friend of the bridegroom, but he that had the bride was the bridegroom, that is, Christ, John 3:28-30. In the ages to come God intends to “show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”, Ephesians 2:7. The millenial age is the first of those ages. It will begin when Christ comes with the church, when “He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe”, 2 Thessalonians 1:10. The world will be amazed at the beauty of the bride, and this will be to His glory, for He has made her what she is.
And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God- this may refer to the sayings throughout the book which have the character of blessings, one of which has just been spoken. They are seven in number as follows:

1. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand”, 1:3.

2. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth”, 14:13.

3. “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame”, 16:15.

4. “Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb”, 19:9.

5. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years”.

6. “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book”, 22:7.

7. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city”, 22:14.

John has just heard the central one of these seven blessings, and the prospects that these blessings from God hold out, has overwhelmed him. So much so that he forgets himself, and as the next verse says, falls down to worship the one who brings the sayings, as if he is the one who is doing the blessing, and not God.

And I fell at his feet to worship him- it is remarkable that John, of all people, should fall down to worship a creature, especially as the call had come in verse 5 to all God’s servants, to praise Him. John had recorded the words of the Son of God when He said, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father”, John 5:22. One of the prime ways in which the Father is honoured is when His creatures acknowledge that He alone is worthy of worship. So if the Son is to be honoured in the same way as the Father, then no other must be worshipped. John has forgotten this in the excitement of the moment, as such momentous events are bought before his eyes. Sadly, he will repeat this mistake in 22:8,9.
And he said unto me, See thou do it not- John is met with an immediate rebuke. As a heavenly being, the one who is speaking to John had seen the rebellion of Lucifer take place, when a creature sought the worship that is only due to God. He had seen the disastrous consequences of that rebellion, and he knew that it was going to be duplicated on the earth, with a man sitting in the temple of God claiming Divine honours for himself.
I am thy fellowservant- as an spirit-creature, he was a servant of God. But he was the fellowservant of John, and by describing himself like this, he gently rebukes him again. To be a servant of God is by definition to be a worshipper of God, and no-one else. The tragedy with Israel was that they served idols.
And of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus- not only is this one a fellowservant of John in his day, but will also be fellowservant of those in the tribulation age whom the Lord calls “these My brethren”, Matthew 25:40. They will face the great pressure to do what the Lord Jesus refused to do, namely, worship Satan, for the antichrist, who will be dominant in their day, in seeking to sit in the temple as God, will in fact be attracting worship to the evil one himself. In such a dark day, the testimony to who Jesus is will be found in the hearts of these he calls his brethren, so they work together, in their respective spheres, for the sake of the cause of God.
Worship God- this command is not just for John’s benefit, but for all, believer or unbeliever. God deserves the worship from His creatures that being their Creator demands. The apostle Paul wrote of the folly of those who, refusing the obvious testimony of creation to the power and glory of the Creator, turned to the worship of the creature, Romans 1:18-23. Believers, of all people, should ensure that they give God His due, for He is their God, and they owe everything to Him.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy- the essence or vital part of prophecy is not so that we may have our curiosity about the future gratified. Rather, it is that Jesus, the man after God’s own heart, may be glorified and enhanced in our minds. If He is, then we shall not make the mistake of worshipping an angel. Very near the end of the book John is told, “I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches”, 22:16. Perhaps this suggests that the “he” of verse 9 is the angel of Jesus.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION CHAPTER 19, VERSES 11 TO 21:

19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.

19:13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.

19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

19:15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

19:16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.

19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

(c) Verses 11-16 Intervention by our great God and Saviour

19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

And I saw heaven opened- this is the beginning of the actual manifestation and revelation of Jesus Christ to the world. He has been hidden from the eyes of men for so many centuries, but now He is going to be unveiled. The boy-king Joash was hidden in the temple, then there came the moment when he was revealed, 2 Chronicles 22:12;23:11. Throughout this book there have been partial revelations, whether to John in chapter 1, or to the churches in chapter 2, or in chapters 4 to 18 as He intervenes and judges the world for its wickedness and rebellion. Now the time has come for Him to intervene in person.
And behold a white horse- He had ridden into Jerusalem on an ass, the preferred mode of travel for princely men, but now He is riding a war-horse, as He comes out to do battle with the forces of evil. That the horse is white is a reflection on the character of the rider, who has no stain on His character. It also makes Him the more conspicuous.
And He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True- in 6:1 the antichrist was seen on a white horse as he came to delude and deceive. This one deceives none, for He is faithful to people and true to His God, whose cause He upholds.
And in righteousness He doth judge and make war- the first time He came He rebuked those disciples who wanted to call down fire upon men, Luke 9:54-56, for, as He said, “The Son of man came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them”. Now it is different, for grace has been spurned, and God’s patience has become exhausted. There is nothing left but judgement. The apostle Paul was summoned by the philosophers to Mar’s Hill in Athens. Now Mars was one of the Roman false gods, who was to them the god of war. When Paul had spoken to them, having exposed idolatry as illogical, he announced that God “now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead”, Acts 17:31. The children of Israel sang on the banks of the Red Sea, “The Lord is a man of war: The Lord is His name”. When the Lord Jesus comes, (He who is God manifest in the flesh), the real God of war will burst upon the scene, and will judge the world in strict justice.

19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.

His eyes were as a flame of fire- this speaks of His all-discerning and all penetrating ability in judgement. He will burn up all that He sees to be contrary to God.
And on His head were many crowns- there are two words for crown used in the New Testament, this one, “diademata”, which signifies an inherited crown, and the other, “stephanos”, which denotes an earned crown. He has a right to both, but here He comes with all the authority that comes because He is who He is. All judgement has been given to Him because He is Son of God, John 5:22, and because He is Son of man, verse 27. He is also King of Israel, a Divine title, Isaiah 43:15, and the Judge of all the earth, Genesis 18:25. Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon His shoulder: And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”, 9:6.
And He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself- this is a very personal name that He has been given for the occasion, perhaps denoting a particular feature of His character that will be especially relevant at the time. That no man knows it shows it is not written for all to see, but is hidden away on His person.

19:13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.

And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood- it might seem strange that He comes out of heaven like this. We know from Isaiah 63:1-6 that His garments will be red with the blood of the slain after He has judged men, but John is describing His appearance as He comes out of heaven. When Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph, they deceived their father into thinking that he was dead by showing him Joseph’s garment which they had dipped in the blood of a goat. Years later, when Joseph brought upon both his father and his brothers a time of tribulation, (we might call it the time of Jacob’s trouble, see Jeremiah 30:7), they remembered what they had done to Joseph, even though they did not yet know it was Joseph that was dealing with them. They had his blood on their conscience, so that when trouble came, they immediately thought it to be judgement because of their treatment of Joseph. A similar thing is happening here, as the world, and in particular the nation of Israel, are reminded by His vesture of the way they shed the blood of God’s Son.
And His name is called The Word of God- John had begun his writings with the statement that “In the beginning was the Word”, John 1:1. He then went on, “And the Word was made flesh”, verse 14. So he referred to Christ in eternity, then Christ incarnate, and now he is telling us that, as He comes into the world again, His name is called the Word of God. Everything He was before is still intact. Every word He spoke before is still true and relevant. He came to bring life to men, hence the apostle calls the gospel “the word of life”, 1 John 1:1. But now He is coming to bring wrath and judgement.

19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses- this is the event the Lord Jesus referred to when He said “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”, Matthew 25:31. Enoch had foretold this, Jude tells us, when he prophesied “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgement upon all”, Jude 14,15. The armies of the antichrist, even though they have Satan on their side, will be no match for the angel-armies of heaven. They too will be on white horses. What an awe-inspiring sight for the believers on earth, and a great comfort as at last they see Christ intervening on their behalf. But how devastating for the followers of antichrist as they realise that their judgement has come.
Clothed in fine linen, white and clean- Christ will not defeat like with like. He will meet and defeat the Lawless One with pure justice. His armies are therefore clad as He is, being in full agreement with Him. They do not come, however, with their vesture dipped in blood, for He alone was crucified and slain.

And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword- this is figurative language, of course, and tells us that when He comes again His speech will be of a different sort than when He came the first time. Men marvelled then at “the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth”, Luke 4:24. Now it is words of judgement and war. Isaiah had spoken of this when he foretold that “with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked”, 11:4. And the apostle Paul also wrote, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”, 2 Thessalonians 1:8. Isaiah’s word “breath” is equivalent to Paul’s word “spirit”, and since the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, Ephesians 6:17 , then the sword out of His mouth is His word in the power of the Spirit. The sword is a symbol of justice, so the word is the word of justice.
That with it He should smite the nations- the disciples had asked in Gethsemane, “Shall we smite with the sword?”, thus indicating that at least one other than Peter had a sword with him, (as is confirmed by Luke 22:38, “Lord, behold, here are two swords”). But the use of the sword was rebuked by the Lord in that situation. This showed that His kingdom would not be brought in by force of arms, as he explained to Pilate, John 18:36,37. But it will be brought in by the administration of justice. The nations of the world will have sided with the antichrist, (even though some citizens from those nations will have refused to do so), and it is these that Christ shall judge. He shall sit upon the throne of His glory, (men gave Him a cross of shame), and before Him shall be gathered all nations, Matthew 25:51,52. He shall use the sword of justice against them in judgement, and thus smite them.
And He shall rule them with a rod of iron- looking further ahead to His rule, we are told here the nature of His control over the nations. It will be strict and inflexible. David had foretold that the Messiah would “break the nations with a rod of iron”, Psalm 2:8. Daniel saw the successive Gentile forms of rule under the figure of an imposing image, which Christ would break in pieces when He came, Daniel 2:44. So He shall break Gentile dominion, and then establish His own, which none shall break.
And He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God- this is the third metaphor for judgement. The first was a sword, the symbol of justice, the second a rod, the symbol of power, and now the winepress, the symbol of crushing defeat. John has already graphically described the way in which the vine of the earth is cut down and cast into great winepress of the wrath of God, 14:17-20. The winepress is outside of the city, so the grapes are trodden in the same place as His blood was shed. This explains why the anger of God is fierce, because of the treatment they gave to His Son long before, and the fact that largely they have not changed their opinion.

19:16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written- there are two names written, one that no-one knows except Himself, and this one, “King of kings and Lord of Lords”. He is called two names, “Faithful and True”, and “the Word of God”.
“King of kings and Lord of lords”- the title King of kings is on His vesture, telling us that kingship is compatible with His character. After all, He was born king, and has all the features that a king should have. But it is also written on His thigh. Now the psalmist spoke of the Messiah girding His sword upon His thigh, and in His majesty riding prosperously, Psalm 45:3,4. So perhaps “King of kings” is on His vesture, and “Lord of lords” is on His thigh, where normally the sword would be. We know, of course, that His sword is out of His mouth, showing it is no natural sword, but a spiritual one, well able to defeat the spirit-lords that are goading on the kings of the earth. When writing to warn the Corinthians not to tamper with idolatry, Paul spoke of “gods many and lords many”, so lords and gods are the forces of evil. Christ is far superior to both earthly kings and spirit forces. He rules over kings, and dominates lords.

(d) Verses 17-21 Invitation to the supper of the great God

And I saw an angel standing in the sun- as a spirit-being, an angel is not affected by the heat of the sun. But if this is literal, would anyone see him? Probably the thought is that he positioned himself in the heavens so that he was directly in line with the sun, the object being to draw attention to what he was going to say. The birds of the air would be specially sensitive to changes in the sun.
And he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven- by this is presumably meant those that normally fly high in the sky. In other words the birds of prey that soar and glide far from earth, but which have such keen eyesight that they are able to see their prey from a great distance.
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God- 500,000 Golden Eagles pass through Israel via the Jezreel Valley per season, and they are but one of the many species of scavenger birds that do so. The call is to the carnivorous birds, that they come to feast on the flesh of men as they are slain by the sword of the Coming Victor. In His Olivet Discourse, the Lord said, in connection with His coming to earth, “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together”, Matthew 24:28. He is coming as the “Great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ”, Titus 2:13. As Saviour to those who are in great need of deliverance at this time, and as the Great God to destroy His enemies.

That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men- the kings of the nations gathered against Christ shall personally be present on the battlefield, such is their hostility to Him. The captains and mighty men, the champions like Goliath, shall be ready to fight, as will the rank and file of the army. They are only there because they pledged allegiance to the antichrist by accepting his mark.
And the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them- the Valley of Jezreel is an extensive plain, where the cavalrymen of the world have fought each other for centuries.
And the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great- such a vast collection of armies needs extensive backup resources, and the personnel to handle it. They will be enlisted from every level of society, and will have the common aim of opposing Christ at His coming.

19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies- the final confrontation between good and evil. The antichrist is also called the Man of Sin, and the old preachers used to say that “the sin of man will result in the Man of Sin”. Here is the full development of what man is in Adam, and it is in direct conflict with the Last Adam, Christ Himself. There is no mention of the false prophet being on the battlefield, but he is taken with the others in the next verse.
Gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army- a clear manifestation of what the apostle Paul wrote about man, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”, Romans 8:8. They little realise that the force against them is spiritual, and that the ordinary rules of engagement do not apply to this battle. The kings of the earth had gathered together against Christ when they crucified Him, and now they are repeating it, showing they have not learnt their lesson. Psalm 2 is being fulfilled completely now, for “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion”, Psalm 2:4-6.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him- in chapter 13:4 the question is asked, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Here is the answer to the second question, for the beast is no match for the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The power by which the first beast operated, and the power by which the second beast did miracles, is not enough to rescue themselves from the wrath of the Lamb. There is no battle, for the result was decided at Calvary, where Christ destroyed the forces of evil. This is but one demonstration of it.
With which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image- the only reason these two succeeded in gaining the allegiance of men is that the natural mind gravitates to error. So since they used falsehood to promote their cause, they succeeded, but only for a time, because the promise about Christ was that would “send forth judgement unto victory”, Matthew 12:20. This is Matthew’s quotation of Isaiah’s words, “He shall bring forth judgement unto truth”, Isaiah 42:3. Truth shall be victorious at last, and those who promote falsehood, and those who believe it, shall alike meet their certain doom.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone- notice there is no process of assessment, for their sin is so obvious that there needs to be no process. The lake of fire is the same as Gehenna, the final abode of the devil and his angels, together with all who have sided with them against God. Isaiah spoke of Tophet, a place of rejection, (the word means “spitting out with contempt”), and he said, “the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it”, Isaiah 30:33. It appears from Jeremiah 19:6 that Tophet was also called the Valley of the son of Hinnom, and this is where the word Gehenna comes from, the equivalent to the particular New Testament word for hell which means the Lake of Fire.
It is appointed unto men once to die, but these go straight into the lake of fire. Either this means they are both resurrected men, who have died once already, or they are the exception that proves the rule. Elijah went to heaven without dying, and so did Enoch, so they are the two exceptions on the righteous side. The apostle wrote of this event, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse- that is, all the others which make up the kings and people of the army, are slain. There is no battle as such, but instant death.
Which sword proceeded out of His mouth- so they die through the word He speaks. They could have had eternal life through His word, but chose not to, and sided with the enemy by listening to his deceptive lies.
And all the fowls were filled with their flesh- this is the ultimate disgrace, to be left on the battlefield for the birds of prey to feast upon. No burial, and no means of remembering them. (This strongly suggests that the destruction of Gog and Magog is at another time, for Ezekiel 39:11-17 describes the burial of the bodies after that battle). Notwithstanding the fact that their bodies will be eaten up, they shall certainly come back in resurrected bodies to stand before God and hear His stern judgement upon them.

REVELATION 17

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REVELATION 17

Introduction to the chapter
We are informed in this chapter about the relationship between the false religious system which originated in Babylon after the flood, and the coming political world-leader, the beast.
The Babylonish religion is based on the concept of the mother and the child, with the child being the husband of the mother re-incarnated. The original husband was Nimrod, and the wife/mother was Semiramis. This is the basis of world-wide religion, but is mainly represented by the Papal System centred at Rome.
For centuries this religion flourished in Babylon, but when the Roman emperor Constantine professed conversion to Christianity he invited the priests of Babylon to Rome. His theory was that he could unite his empire together by means of religion. A religion, moreover, that could accommodate all shades of opinion. So it was that the rites, ceremonies and concepts of the Babylon system were merged with that which professed to be Christianity.
We have already noticed in connection with Revelation 13 that four empires are destined to arise, and will eventually merge into the empire of the beast. He will install himself in Satan’s world-capital, the rebuilt city of Babylon, and will find it useful to go along with the system of religion established there.
Eventually, he will rid himself of it and demand sole worship for himself, and claim to be God, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, whilst secretly worshipping Satan, Daniel 11:38,39. This is the price he must pay to receive world-dominion; a price the Lord Jesus flatly refused to pay, Matthew 4:8-10.
This destruction of the religious system will be effected by the ten kings that receive their power temporarily with the beast, who will burn the city with fire, and thus ensure that the system of religion she represents will never rise again. The result of this is detailed in the next chapter.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-6	The woman who sits on the beast
(b)	Verses 7-11	The origin and destiny of the beast
(c)	Verses 12-18	The destruction of the woman by the beast

(a) Verse 1-6
The woman who sits on the beast

17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials- chapter 16 is the account of the pouring out of God’s judgements upon the earth by seven angels. John is about to have a conversation with one of these about the judgement on the world religious system based in Babylon. Perhaps the angel is the seventh, because Babylon came into remembrance when the seventh angel poured out his bowl of wrath, 16:17,19. The angel comes to unfold to John personally what the mystery about this woman is, verse 7.

And talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore- a woman in Scripture is often a symbol of religious matters. So in 21:9 another vial-angel shows John the bride of Christ, the true church, who is without spot through Christ’s care of her, Ephesians 5:26,27. She needs to be this for she is the bride of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus, and He is the Lamb without spot and blemish, 1 Peter 1:19. This woman is the opposite of “without spot”, being, not a pure and chaste bride, but a harlot with all that the word implies. After so many thousands of years of dominating the religious scene, she is about to be judged of God, and He will use wicked men to do it, verse 17.

That sitteth upon many waters- note the verb is in the present tense, for her domination of the multitudes is constant and persistent. We are told in verse 15 that the waters are “peoples, and nations, and tongues”. Wherever men are found, however they are organised as nations, whatever language they speak, the woman dominates them. The Catholic confessional holds the masses in fear, probing as it does the inner recesses of the heart and conscience, and placing those secrets into the hands of unscrupulous priests, whose allegiance is not to God but the Pope. And then there is the blackmail of the Catholic mass, for the poor devotees of this system are taught from their infant days that unless they take the wafer of the mass they have not eternal life in their souls.

17:2
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication- the kings of the earth have found it convenient politically to ally themselves religiously with Rome, either through a lust for power, or fear of blackmail and overthrow. What else other than fornication can a relationship with a harlot be called?

And the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication- how ironical that the system which withholds the cup of wine at the Mass from the laity, holds out the cup of licence to them. We are told the contents of the cup in verse 4, where we learn it is “a golden cup…full of abominations and filthiness”. The Papal system is idolatrous, and by its spurious “forgiveness” at the Confessional, encourages a light view of sin. When people are drunk they are insensitive to reality, and to drink of the woman’s golden cup is to be introduced to a system of thought that is diametrically opposed to the things of God as set out in the word of God

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.

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness- how fitting that John should see the woman when he was in a wilderness, where all was barren and lifeless, for this is the effect this woman and her evil doctrines has. Isaiah prophesied about Babylon with the words, “The burden of the desert of the sea…and behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen…and he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen'”, Isaiah 21:1,9. There is nothing for God in this city, but all is arid desert. Revelation 18:7 speaks of the woman living deliciously, (luxuriously), surrounded by all that the natural mind desires, yet here God’s view of her is given, and it is completely opposite.

And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast- there are those who believe that the Pope is the antichrist, but this verse alone would be enough to show that not to be the case, for the woman and the beast are separate. It is certainly true that Papal Rome is anti-Christian, (despite its pretences to being the guardian of the Christian faith), but that is different to saying it is the personal antichrist.
From the beginning those who aspire to dominate men and hold power know that they must combine religion and politics to do so. We see this at Babel, which became Babylon, for men built a city horizontally, the political centre, and a tower vertically, the religious centre. Man has a spirit-component to his make-up, and mere politics does not satisfy him or hold his attention. So it shall be with Babylon at the end, the political and the religious must unite, and they do so in the form of the woman, (the religious system), and the beast, (the political system), travelling together. In this verse the woman simply sits on the beast, showing that she is associated with him in some way. In verse 7 the beast is carrying her, for it suits him to go along with her for a while. But in verse 16 the ten kings who are allied to the beast hate the woman, and burn her with fire. This marks the point where the beast unites politics and religion in himself, and sets himself up, not only as supreme world-ruler, but the one to be worshipped.
The beast on which the woman rides is scarlet coloured. This is not the same colour as the dragon of 12:2, but is the same colour as the woman, as described in verse 4. Scarlet is the signature colour of the Catholic Cardinals, and perhaps the beast is disguising himself as one of the hierarchy of the Papacy. Or at least is presenting himself as allied with her.

Full of names of blasphemy- it is a sad commentary on the woman and her claims, that she is prepared to go along with a beast with names of blasphemy. She has no sensitivity as to the claims of God and that “holy and reverend is His name”, Psalm 111:9. The claims the beast makes, and the titles he assumes, are all blasphemous, for he is opposed to God and Christ, and is seeking to usurp all that they stand for. He is preparing for the moment when he himself can set himself up as God, and be worshipped. But then the Catholic system gives Mary titles which are blasphemous, so it is no surprise that she goes along with a blaspheming beast.

Having seven heads and ten horns- this identifies him as the one spoken of in 13:1-10, and shows that it is indeed the first beast that is the antichrist. See verses 9-12 of this chapter for the meaning of the heads and horns.

17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour- these were the colours worn by the Caesars, telling us of the lust for power this woman exhibits. They are also the colours that mark the Papal system, with the Pope wearing the purple, and the cardinals wearing the scarlet.

And decked with gold and precious stones and pearls- this woman is extravagantly displaying the fruits of her success. Just as a harlot is loaded with gifts by her clients, so this wicked woman flaunts the proceeds of her fornications. It was one of the Popes who said, “How profitable a farce has this Christianity become for us”, and by saying this he laid bare the greed and arrogance of the system. How many a poor widow has been fleeced by the priest, leaving her destitute and her children hungry, by the wicked doctrine that souls can be rescued from Purgatory by the payments made by the living. The doctrine is especially wicked because there is no such place of Purgatory; it is a fictional place invented for the sake of monetary gain. So also is the sale of indulgences that in Medieval times financed the projects the Popes wished to engage in to further their own pride and desire for power.
A truly spiritual woman will not be dressed like this woman is, for the apostle Peter, (the one that Catholics want to claim as their first Pope!) wrote, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting of hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price”, 1 Peter 3:3,4. And the apostle Paul agreed with him, for he wrote, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works”, 1 Timothy 2:9,10. Such is the contrast between the spiritual Christian woman, and this harlot-woman, despite all her finery.

Having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication- abominations are idols, and fornication is illicit and immoral alliance. These two things, idolatry and vice, always go hand in hand, and this woman’s system is no different.
It is reported by historians that when Cyrus the Great entered Babylon, having taken the city out of the hands of Belshazzar, he found the legendary cup of Semiramis there.
Those who were to be initiated into the mysteries of the pagan religious system were first offered a drugged drink, in order to prepare their minds for the ideas that were about to be presented to them. Without this intoxication the mind could not stand the horror of what was brought before them, for the Lord calls them “the depths of Satan”, Revelation 2:24.
As supreme ruler, Belshazzar would be acknowledged as the Pontifex Maximus. So can it be that when he “made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand”, Daniel 5:1-4, that he was drinking from the cup of Semiramis? And is it any surprise that as he, and they, (for it was very large), drank its drugged contents, he would have the impious thought of bringing in the vessels from the temple of God, so that he and his wives and concubines could drink therefrom, and praise the gods of gold and silver and brass and iron and wood as they did so? In that way the vessel of Semiramis and the vessels of God would be devoted to the same goal, the worship of Satan. No wonder the word came that his kingdom had been given to the Medes and Persians, for he had crossed a line with his impiety, verse 28. And then we read, “In that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans slain”, verse 30. So shall it be with the future “Belshazzar”, the antichirst. He shall drink of Semiramis’s drugged cup, and the ultimate impiety shall enter his mind, even the setting up of himself as God, 2 Thessalonians 2:4. This is the ultimate apostasy, and God will judge it.

17:5
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY- there is at one and the same time brazen boldness, (the name is on her forehead), and secret mysteries, (MYSTERY). The Babylonish system is a dual one, with outward ceremonies that appeal to the senses, and hidden secrets only the initiated know. Thus there is a hidden counterpart to the ceremonies, titles and practices which appear on the surface.
Just as in the New Testament there are holy mysteries revealed to God’s people through the apostles, so there is a Satanic, unholy set of mysteries. But whereas the mysteries of paganism are only known to a few initiates, the mysteries of the New Testament are revealed to all believers.

BABYLON THE GREAT- this city is called great not because it is noble and righteous, but because it is the centre of a great deception. From the beginning Babel, and its successor Babylon, has been the source of rebellion against God, and the spread of that which is in opposition to Him. It will also, when rebuilt, be the capital city of Satan’s coming man, the beast, and the place from which the final rebellion will come.

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS- the woman John saw has daughters, and they are harlots also, for as the apostasy deepens, many so-called Faiths will ally themselves with Rome. Organisations that call themselves Christian churches will succumb to the deception. There is a powerful movement to ensnare Protestants into this wickedness, and true believers should be alert with regard to this “falling away”, that the apostle warned about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4. These who go over to the side of Papal deceptions will also have a harlot character, and will be as guilty and wicked as the mother. A previous Pope to the current one held meetings with the leaders of other “faiths”. He also erected an image of Buddha on a cathedral altar.

AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH- the system is openly idolatrous, for remember this name is on her forehead for all to see. The days when these things were covered up and denied will be over, and religion will come out in open defiance of God and His Son, and in alliance with Satan and the beast.

17:6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints- so this is one ingredient of the cup she drinks from, even the blood of Old Testament saints. Wherever there has been persecution and murder of God’s people, this system has been lurking in the shadows behind it, for it is a comprehensive network of intrigue and influence that furthers the aims of Satan himself.

And with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus- not only in Old Testament times, but in the current age, and also in the Tribulation Period yet to come, there has been, and will be, the slaying of God’s faithful people. It is said that the Roman Catholic system is guilty of the murder of 50 million of God’s saints in this age alone. And because she is the religious force behind the beast in his rise and reign, she will be guilty of the blood of saints in that period too. The current Pope, (2019), is the first one for 600 years to be a Jesuit. As such, he has sworn an oath to kill all who refuse the Catholic faith.

And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration- the basic meaning of the words “wondered” and “admiration” is to look closely. As John took in the details that were presented to him, he was greatly amazed. It is not admiration in the modern sense of “look at with approval”. How could he approve of a woman who was drunken with the blood of his fellow-believers?

(b) Verses 7-11
The origin and destiny of the beast

17:7
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? The angel expresses surprise that John should not realise the meaning of the woman he saw.

I will tell thee the mystery of the woman- the angel will not tell in the sense that he will recount the mystery, but rather that he would explain it. There is no excuse for us today not knowing the things that shall come to pass, and being prepared for the foreshadowing of them in our own times.

And of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns- so in verse 3 the woman is simply sitting on the beast, and now we learn that the beast is carrying her; she is not static, but making progress, and it is the beast who facilitates that progress, because it suits his purpose. As we shall see, at the end he will dispense with her, but not yet. The angel tells, or explains, the mystery of the woman in verses 14-18, and the mystery of the beast in verses 8-14.

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.

The beast that thou sawest was- from the standpoint of John in his day, the beast had existed before. Now, when God explained through Daniel the meaning of Nebuchanezzar’s dream, it was clear that the metals that made up the image he dreamt about not only represented forms of government, but also the one who headed up that government. So the word to Nebuchadnezzar was “Thou art this head of gold”, Daniel 2:38. This is also the case with the four beasts of Daniel 7, for we are told that the four beasts are four kings, verse 17, but they are also four kingdoms, verse 23. So the beast also can be at one and the same time a person and an empire. We should bear this in mind, for presently we shall learn that the beast comes up out of the abyss and goes into perdition, and empires do neither of those things.
So thinking of the beast as a person, John is told it “was”. Now this means “was” in terms of John’s day, not the day he is being transported to in spirit. So in John’s day the beast was, in the past, from John’s standpoint at the time he had the vision.

And is not- the beast, could be said in John’s day to not be; that is, not be in evidence on the earth. Not “is not” in the sense “does not exist any more”. This shows that the kingdom of the beast is not exactly a revival of the Roman Empire, for in John’s day it “is not”.

And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit- when we were looking at chapter 9 we saw that the demon-locusts came out of the bottomless pit, or abyss, which is not the same place as hell, or sheol, the place of the departed souls of men.
Before the flood, the sons of God, (which always means angels in the Old Testament), saw the daughters of men, and co-habited with them and produced a race of giants that were not fully men. This may have been accomplished by the spirits taking over the spirit-component of some men, and using them to further their evil purpose. We know from the testimony of the demon-possessed man of Gadara that he said, when asked what his name was, “My name is legion, for we are many”, Mark 5:9. So his personality and that of the spirits had merged, so that he speaks of himself and them as “we”.

The purpose of this intrusion into the race of men was to endanger the line of the Messiah. Noah is described as being “perfect in his generations”, and that particular word perfect is used of the sacrifices in the tabernacle system. A sacrifice had to be perfect to be accepted, which meant it had no physical defect. So we are learning that God saw Noah as a man that was fully human, and as such could be taken over into postFlood conditions, to begin again on a cleansed earth. So it is that God instructed Noah to make an ark “to the saving of his house”, Hebrews 11:7. His house, meaning his sons, were also not affected by the contamination of the human race, so they were especially provided for by God so that they could continue the godly line. So it was that all eight persons who stepped out of the ark onto a cleansed earth, were wholly human, and the line of the Messiah was preserved.
Sadly, however, we read “and also after that”, Genesis 6:4, so the same sin was repeated after the flood. We read in Numbers 13:33 the testimony of Caleb, one of the two faithful spies sent into Canaan. He said, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants”. The word he used was the same as Moses used in Genesis 6:4. We can understand why God commanded Joshua to eliminate the Canaanites, for they represented a threat to the line of the Messiah again.

If God used Seth to preserve the line after the flood, Satan used Ham to seek to spoil it again, and Nimrod was of the line of Ham. It must be said, however, that the Scripture does not specifically say that Nimrod was one of the giants produced after the flood, although the Gilgamesh Epic is very likely about Nimrod, and it was said of Gilgamesh that he was two-thirds god and one third man. This would suggest that the evil angels took over the non-material part of man, and used the material part, their bodies, to father children who became giants.

So it was that soon after these times that God chose Abraham, separated him from the land of the Chaldees, and brought him to the land of Canaan where he could live apart from the wickedness of the nations. He was very careful not to take a wife of the Canaanites for his son, Genesis 24:3, for they might be descendants of the giants that existed after the flood, Genesis 6:4, (“and also after that”). (The people under Joshua did not drive the Canaanites out fully, as we see from Judges 1).

Thus the line of the Messiah was further preserved, for God had prepared a bride-in-waiting for Isaac, as we read in Genesis 22:20-23. That Scripture tells us that Abraham had heard of the birth, and so later on would be confident in the genuineness of the genealogy of the bride. The message about the birth of Rebekah traced her genealogy from Abraham’s brother Nahor, and significantly emphasises that it was by Milcah that Nahor had his son Bethuel, so he was wholly human. Confirmation would come to him that Rebekah was the right wife for his son if the servant who he sent to find a bride left it to the Lord to lead him to the right girl. And so it came to pass. Isaac learnt this lesson, too, for he charged Jacob to not take a wife of the Canaanites, Genesis 28:1, but go to his relatives in Padan-Aram, whose background he knew.
Returning to the beast and his ascent out of the bottomless pit. This is either figurative or actual. If figurative it means that his origin is Satanic in some way. The problem with that is that the bottomless pit is not under the control of Satan. His agents are confined there, it is true, but he is not, for he walks about as a roaring lion. If we take the ascent out of the pit to be figurative, do we not have to say that the going into perdition is figurative?

The bottomless pit is the place of evil spirits. See, for instance, where the evil spirits that possessed the man of Gadara begged the Lord not to command them to go into the deep, or the abyss, which is the same as the bottomless pit, Luke 8:31. We might well think that this personage is one of the giants of old time, and is now rising out of his spirit-habitation, he being dominated by an evil spirit. Normally the spirits of men return to God when they die, awaiting the resurrection either to life or to damnation, Ecclesiastes 12:7; John 5:28,29. But this man’s spirit had been taken over by evil beings, and therefore it is fitting that he should be consigned to where evil spirits are imprisoned.

And go into perdition- his end is certain, for he is called “son of perdition”, and thus bears a name that tells of his doom. This was true of Judas also, for he is called by the Lord Jesus the son of perdition, John 17:12, and the apostles said that he had gone to “his own place”, Acts 1:25.

And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder- we have this class of people mentioned again, those who are settled down upon the earth. They wonder with admiration and respect, whereas John wondered at the woman with amazement.

Whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world- see remarks on 13:8. Things settled from the foundation of the world have to do with earth, and in particular Christ’s reign over it. So these are dwellers on the earth, not in the sense that they are longing for Christ’s reign on the earth, and want to be ready for it, but because they are not interested in heaven. Those who shall reign with Christ on earth have their names in this book, but those of this verse have not; the difference being the reaction to Christ.

When they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is- they will behold him because he will have a manifestation, after a time of relative obscurity in the first half of the Tribulation Period. Everything about him will be designed to impress the natural mind, whereas everything about Christ reproved the natural mind. So he was prominent on the earth, is not prominent on the earth in John’s day, being in the bottomless pit, but in that sense, still is, waiting to emerge.

17:9
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

And here is the mind which hath wisdom- God will see to it that there are those who understand in those times. In the prophecy of Daniel we learn of those who are wise, and who understand the significance of the events that will be taking place at the end time. Daniel wrote, “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days”, Daniel 11:33. And again, “and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand”, 12:10. These are the Maskilim, the wise and understanding ones, and they will understand what the world can only wonder at. They will also teach the believers of that day, for we read, “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many”, Daniel 11:33. They are the same ones referred to by the Lord Jesus when He gave His discourse on the mount of Olives, saying, “whoso readeth, let him understand”, Matthew 24:15.

The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth- the Maskilim will see clearly that the beast is the successor of the emperors of old time, who in some way damaged the interests of the nation of Israel. There are those who see in these seven mountains the empire of Rome, because Rome is built on seven hills. Rome is called historically the “seven-hilled city”. But they are just that, hills, not mountains. The highest of those hills is 76 metres, or 249 feet, and the smallest hill is 38 metres, or 124 feet. A standard electricity pylon is 160 feet high, so in no way are these hills like mountains. In any case, the Vatican is not positioned on any of the hills, but is on the other side of the river Tiber.

The truth is that, like the word beast, which refers to a man, the word mountain refers to an empire, it is not a literal and physical mountain but a moral and metaphorical one. As we saw when thinking of chapter 13, these mountains are representative of the seven empires that have impinged in some way on the nation of Israel. The fact that the woman sits on these mountains tells us that she dominates those empires in some way. And since she represents religion, it is in that way she dominates, holding men in fear by her threatenings. We know that Nebuchadnezzar harnessed the power of religion to unite his empire, as we learn from Daniel 3.

17:10
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

And there are seven kings- not only do the mountains represent empires, but they also represent their respective emperors, for the two were merged in ancient times. We are reminded of this in Daniel 2, because the gold of the image represented an empire, verse 39, but also an emperor, verses 38 and 44.

Five are fallen- the empires that have been influenced by the religious system emanating from the city of Babylon, and who therefore have been an influence on Israel, are the following:
First, the kingdom of Nimrod, Genesis 11:10, which originated and fostered the system of idolatry that Israel eventually succumbed to, as we know from Ezekiel 8.
Second, Assyria, which took the ten Northern tribes of Israel into captivity.
Third, Babylonia, which took the remaining two tribes of Judah and Benjamin into captivity.
Fourth, Medo-Persia, which restored the remnant in the land under Zerubabel.
Fifth, Grecia, which ruled over Palestine after the Old Testament history closed. These empires, and the rulers that dominated them, Nimrod, Sennacharib, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus and Alexander, were fallen in John’s day.

And one is- this empire, the sixth, is Rome under Caesar, who by the time the New Testament begins ruled over Palestine, and was still doing so when John had his revelation. It was as Roman emperor that Constantine welcomed the priests of Babylon to Rome.

And the other is not yet come- so in John’s day the seventh empire and emperor had not come on the scene. This is the empire of antichrist, still in the future in its first form.

And when he cometh, he must continue a short space- this may refer to the first part of the Tribulation Period, when for forty-two months the antichrist is on the scene but not manifest in his full power and awfulness. He first of all arises with three other empires at the same time, likened in Daniel’s dream to four beasts, Daniel 7. But then John saw just one beast rise out of the sea, and he had incorporated the features of the other three beasts into himself, Revelation 13:1-10. This may take place during the first half of the Tribulation Period, and the final form of his empire is manifest during the second half.

17:11
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth- in his final manifestation, the antichrist will be the final emperor.

And is of the seven- for if he is Nimrod back from the abyss, (remember the beast comes out of the abyss), then he is not only the first, but also the seventh in his intermediate stage, and then is the eighth. But he is of the seven in that he was one of them in his first life. If it is objected that he cannot be someone back from the dead since “it is appointed unto men once to die”, then one answer could be that Nimrod is not just man, but the product of a union between an evil angel, and one of the daughters of men. Perhaps the evil angel in question was Lucifer himself, making the Antichrist “Lucifer manifest in flesh”, a blasphemous parody of the fact that Christ is “God was manifest in flesh”. See 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 14. In the latter passage both the King of Babylon and Lucifer are spoken of. Perhaps this explains why the beast comes up out of the abyss.

And goeth into perdition- his end is stated before he has come on the scene, so certain is his utter defeat. We read that the beast will be cast alive into the lake of fire, 19:20.

17:12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; But receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet- those who try to make the Roman Empire consist of ten countries are on the wrong track, because this passage clearly distinguishes the Roman empire from those that go before it, and those after it. They are definitely stated to not have any kingdom yet, even in John’s day. The vision of Daniel 2 strongly suggests that there will be some sort of similarity between the fourth kingdom of iron, and the fifth kingdom of iron and clay, but the ten kings, (that is, the ten horns), are separate from the beast, except insofar as he is a little horn at first, Daniel 7:8.

We know that at some point before this, three of these kings will be uprooted before the little horn that comes up amongst them, (probably because he sees them to be a threat to his ambitions), and he becomes the emperor, see Daniel 7:20,24,25. It seems that the deposed kings will be replaced, no doubt by those who are ready to comply with the dictates of the beast, as the next verse will say, for there are ten in this chapter.

But receive power as kings one hour with the beast- no doubt the power is received from the same source as the beast’s, namely the dragon. This means they also have vowed to worship him, in exchange for worldly pomp and splendour. That their reign is short-lived is seen in that it is but an hour. Clearly this is figurative for a brief period. The beast will be allowed to continue in his final form for forty-two months, 13:5.

17:13
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast- normally a coalition of ten kings would break up through internal strife, but these will bond together in a common desire to further the interests of the beast. Their power is their political influence, which they will lend to the beast to further his agenda. Their strength lies in the authority Satan, the dragon, has given to them to oppose Christ. Is this transfer of power the signal for the start of the second half of the Tribulation, when sole power is given into the hand of the beast, whereas before it was shared?

17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

These shall make war with the Lamb- we see immediately the intention of these kings. They are for the beast and against the Lamb. They represent antichristian hostility, which even today is making itself felt more and more. Political Correctness, or, to give it its proper name, Social Marxism, is a Satanic attempt to erase Christian things from the thinking of men. The climax will be at the end of the Tribulation, at the battle of Armageddon, where the armies that oppose Christ shall be dealt with.

And the Lamb shall overcome them- the real battle was fought, and won, at Calvary. As the Lord Jesus announced just before He went there, “Now is the judgement of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out”, John 12:31. The world that reached its crisis point when it crucified Christ, shall be finally defeated with the coming of Christ. And the prince of this world will be consigned to the abyss at that time too. The conflict between good and evil was decided at Calvary in favour of good. Hence he who is evil shall be utterly defeated, and consigned to the abyss.

For he is Lord of lords, and King of kings- no matter how much power and authority has been given to the ten kings by Satan, the Lord Jesus is King of kings, and is superior. But He is first of all Lord of lords, for, as the apostle Paul wrote, “there are gods many and lords many”, 1 Corinthians 8:5, and in the context he is referring to demons. So we have the assurance that, notwithstanding the power of Satan and his demonic hosts, Christ is greater than them all, and will demonstrate that by destroying Babylon and all it stands for.

And they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful- the angel is continuing his summary of what will happen when the Lord Jesus comes to reign. His people of this age will be with Him, having been caught up before the Tribulation Period started, see 1 Thessalonians 4:12-5:11. They must be taken to heaven beforehand, or else they cannot come out of heaven with Him afterwards. The apostle Paul makes it clear that “when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”, Colossians 3:4.
Notice the three-fold description of these believers. First of all, they are called. This indicates that they have responded to the gospel call, for Paul describes the believers at Rome as “the called of Jesus Christ”, Romans 1:6.
Second, they were chosen. It is important to realise that the Word of God never calls unsaved individuals elect, (that is, chosen), when considered in themselves. When the apostle Paul spoke of himself and fellow-believers as being chosen before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4, he said that God the Father “hath chosen us in him”, that is, in Christ. They were not chosen for what they were in themselves, but they were chosen because of what and who Christ ever is, as God’s beloved Son. They came into the good of that election by God when they responded to the gospel call.
Paul puts it like this in Romans 8:28-33, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth”.
Notice that the apostle is careful to not call that person God has in view from all eternity, elect. It is only when real faith has been exercised that the good of God’s eternal purpose is realised, and then the description “God’s elect” can be used.
This is also made clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14, where Paul describes the Thessalonians as “beloved of the Lord”, (that is, they were genuine believers in Him), and states that “God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”. So the process whereby God choose to salvation is said to be through two things. First, the God-ward side, sanctification of the Spirit, for the Spirit of God separates to God those who believe, in the light of God’s eternal purpose. Second, the man-ward side, belief of the truth. And how does it come about that someone believes the truth? The answer is that God calls unto salvation by the gospel.

So to return to Revelation 17:14. Those who accompany Christ when He comes to judge are described as called, because they have heeded the gospel call. They are chosen, because when they believed they were brought into the good of God’s eternal purpose. They are also called faithful. That is, they have shown in practical terms the faith they had in their hearts. Paul describes the Ephesian believers in two ways. First, they are “saints which are in Christ Jesus”; then they are “the faithful in Christ Jesus”, Ephesians 1:1. A few hours after Lydia was saved, she invited Paul and his companions into her house, saying, “If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there”, Acts 16:15. And this they did, showing that they reckoned here faithful. So we may deduce that all believers are faithful in this sense. Of course, when it is a question of service, there are degrees of faithfulness. So as believers come with Christ, they present a contrast to the dwellers on the earth, who have not responded to God’s call, and who are therefore not chosen or faithful.

17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth- the angel now clears up some matters that John may have been puzzled about. Verse 1 had described the whore as sitting on many waters, and that had not been explained. In verse 3 she was in the wilderness sitting on a beast. In verse 9 she is sitting on seven mountains. Clearly she is being described in relation to different things. As far as sitting on the beast is concerned, this shows she, at that point, dominates the beast, so that her system of religion is in control. When she is sitting on the seven mountains, that is a reminder that she represents that which started at Babel and has continued ever since, all the time that the world has been dominated by the civilisations the seven mountains represent. Now we are told she sits on the waters, and those waters are defined for us.
Are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues- so this is the company this woman influences, and it includes a vast variety of people, whether considered ethnically, numerically, nationally, or linguistically. As Jeremiah said, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad”, Jeremiah 51:7. Wherever we go today, the Babylonish religion is present; it is all-pervading. Its wicked doctrines are promoted in every sector of society and in every division of humanity. And this will clearly continue until the Lord comes to judge it.

17:16
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore- John may also have been puzzled as to how Babylon was going to be destroyed. He knew, of course, that ultimately her destruction was in the hand of the Lord, but who would He use? The answer is surprising. It is the confederation of ten kings which are allied to the beast, but who at the end, will give over their power completely to him. And this must be when they destroy religious Babylon, for it stands in the way of the beast exercising supreme authority, and setting himself up as the only one to be worshipped. (It is not that the Babylonish system is the worship of God; but it makes itself out to be, and the gullible masses believe it, so it has to be removed to leave only one option, that of worshipping the beast).
Daniel prophesied that the antichrist would “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. 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”, Daniel 11:36,37.
And shall make her desolate and naked- we should remember that the reference all along is to a city, the centre of Satan’s religious system, with a priesthood with a corrupt and licentious lifestyle, covered over by the gorgeous robes and vestments worn at their ceremonies. Instead of multitudes enjoying luxury and pleasure there shall be desolation; instead of rich finery, nakedness.
And shall eat her flesh- the barbaric act of cannibalism is a fit description of the way she shall be completely destroyed. The word cannibal has its origins in Babylon, being made up of Cahn, meaning priest, and Bal, or Baal, the sun god. There is an irony here, for Rome claims to be able to turn a wafer into the flesh of Christ. It is fitting that her flesh should be eaten in recompense for her wicked pretensions, which have deceived so many.

And burn her with fire- the city and all its contents will be put to the flame and utterly burned up. There are two mentions of “the smoke of her burning” in chapter 18, in verse 9 and 18.
The question arises, where will antichrist have his centre after this point? Perhaps the answer is in Daniel 11:45, where we read “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him”. If this is a reference to Tyre, which is noted for its causeway out into the sea, (“between the two seas”), then this explains why Ezekiel refers to the prince of Tyrus, Ezekiel 28:1-10, and the king of Tyrus, verses 11-19. The latter is spoken of in terms very applicable to Lucifer both before his fall and after. So the former may very well be a reference to the antichrist. This is what Ezekiel wrote about the King of Tyrus, “Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas;’ Yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God'”, Ezekiel 28:2. Antichrist will imitate this, for this is very similar wording to 2 Thessalonians 2:4, “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called god, or that is worshipped”. It was in the territory of Tyre and Sidon that Herod made an oration, and the people shouted, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man”, Acts 12:22. The mount of Transfiguration is between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee, and in that sense is “in the midst of the seas”. Could it be that the antichrist will establish himself there in daring opposition to Christ, whose kingdom was foreshadowed on that mountain?

17:17
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will- John may still have been puzzled as to why the ten kings shall act like this. The ultimate reason is now given. It is because it is God’s will, and He is ordering events to His own glory.

And to agree- in normal circumstances to get ten kings to agree, is difficult, but God will ensure it happens. Compare the sufden agreement between Pilate and herod, when they had a common cause in ridding themselves of Christ, Luke 23::12.

And give their kingdom unto the beast- in this way power is concentrated in one man, who is the tool of Satan. The world will be shown what things are like when one man controls everything. The last time one man controlled everything was when Adam sinned. Now the consequences of that sin are to become evident.

Until the words of God shall be fulfilled- God is going to fulfil all that He foretold through the prophets, and nothing shall prevent Him from doing this.

17:18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city- this verse forms the link between this chapter and the next. Chapter 18 emphasises that Babylon is a real city that is the centre of world-commerce and can be burned with fire. This chapter has only spoken of a woman with the name Babylon on her forehead. This verse shows that they, to all intents and purposes, are the same.
Which reigneth over the kings of the earth- no matter what time we think of, as long as there have been kings, the Babylon-principle has dominated. That principle is of combining religion and politics together in opposition to God. There were no kings before Babel was built.

REVELATION 15

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REVELATION 15

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION CHAPTER 15, VERSES 1 TO 4:

15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.

15:4 Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verse 1	Readiness of plague-angels
(b)	Verses 2-4	Rejoicing of overcomers
(c)	Verses 5-8	Retribution on the beast-worshippers

(a) Verse 1 The readiness of the plague-angels

15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

And I saw another sign in heaven- the word sign indicates that something is being pointed out. The Lord Jesus is said to signify things to John, Revelation 1:1, which has led some to say that the book should be interpreted as a series of symbols, so that physical objects stand for spiritual realities. Thus when the sun is mentioned it means supreme rulers, when the sun is darkened it means those rulers lose their ability to rule, and so on. One of the problems with this view is that it leaves the interpretation open largely to the ingenuity of the reader, and the plain sense is lost.
Another problem with this view is that if we substitute spiritual concepts for natural things, we arrive at absurdity. For instance, under the first trumpet judgement, all green grass is burnt up, 8:7. Now Scripture likens men to grass, Isaiah 40:6. Are we to understand, therefore, that all flesh is destroyed at this point, so that there are no unbelievers on the earth at all? This cannot be the case.
John is using the word “sign” here in the sense that what happens has deep and solemn significance, and it would be well for all of us to take note of that significance. God is about to judge men in the most severe way, and He gives prior warning of these judgements in this book. This means that for two thousand years this warning has been available for men to read about, and respond to by repentance and faith.
When we come back to our verse we find that the seven angels are called a sign. But angels are angels, so why are they called a sign? The answer is known when we note the similarity between the judgements poured out by the angels, and the plagues on Egypt. When these angels have done their work, the wrath of God will be fully poured out, and just as the plagues on Egypt culminated in the redemption of the nation of Israel, so the redemption of a future day is about to be accomplished. Now those plagues were called signs, Deuteronomy 6:22, thus the word is appropriate for these angels, for they are closely identified with the judgement they are called to inflict on men.
Great and marvellous- God promised Israel that He would deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. They were slaves, and needed to be set free. So it was that God promised to “redeem them with great judgements”, Exodus 6:6, and this He did. He went on to deliver them by opening up the Red Sea for them, and Moses writes, “Israel saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians”, Exodus 14:31. So not only did He judge the Egyptians by plague and by drowning, but He delivered His people also. So this chapter has the two themes of plagues on men and deliverance for those who believe. In the psalm which records the wonders done in Egypt by God, the psalmist speaks of His marvellous works, Psalm 105:5. It is fitting therefore for the sign of the angels to be described as great and marvellous.
Seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God- this is why they are described as last plagues. The Lord Jesus, referring to these times, said, “These be the days of vengeance, that all things that are written may be fulfilled”, Luke 21:22.
How glad believers should be that the one we believe in is our deliverer from the wrath to come, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, so that we shall not be present on the earth when these judgements come. Unbelievers should be aware, however, that “the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience”, Colossians 3:6.

(b) Verses 2-4 The rejoicing of the over-comers

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire- we were introduced to the sea in 4:6. We saw there that it was the counterpart to the large water-container that stood in the court of Solomon’s temple. There is no need here for the sea to contain water, however, for there is no defilement in heaven, and these who stand upon it were cleansed before ever they reached that pure place. This sea is of glass mingled with fire. Perhaps as they stand upon this sea the redeemed remember that God had said, “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee”, but now the water is crystal-clear glass- all danger is gone, only that which sparkles with the glory of heaven remains. God also said, “When thou passeth through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”, Isaiah 43:2, but now the fire is harmlessly held in the glass.
Those who stand on this glassy sea have gained the victory over the forces of evil, represented by the beast. This remnant of Israel who believe are prefigured by Shadrach and his companions, who were thrown into the fiery furnace, but were unharmed, Daniel 3:16-28.
And them that had gotten the victory over the beast- they had gained the victory by the blood of the Lamb, 12:11, for, having been forgiven, they were not afraid to die for their faith. And, being mindful of the Lord’s example when He was persecuted down here, they were encouraged to stand firm. They had resisted all attempts to get them to renounce their faith, and they had refused to receive the sign of allegiance to the beast in any of its forms. Notice the four-fold repetition of the word “over”, for these were truly over-comers.
It is a beast over whom they had gained the victory. We noted that the beasts in chapter 4 were living creatures, with the emphasis on the fact that they were full of life, and represented the major forms of life upon the earth. The beast we are considering now is noted for its wildness and savagery. We find it described in chapter 13 as a leopard, which has the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. The speed of the leopard, (used for hunting in ancient times), the persistence of the bear, the strength and ferocity of the lion, are all combined together in this beast.
Whereas the dragon in chapter 12:3 had seven heads and ten horns, with crowns upon his heads, the beast has seven heads and ten horns, but with the crowns on his horns. Clearly the power that is vested in the dragon is now being expressed in the beast, for he has the seven heads and ten horns that the dragon has. But the crowns, the sign of royalty and rule, are now on the horns. These would correspond to the ten kings that eventually give their power to the beast, 17:16,17.
Now down through the centuries Satan has sought to subdue the world, and bring it into subjection to himself. He has done so through seven world empires that controlled the known world of their day. Five of these are brought to our notice in Daniel chapter 2, where five forms of Gentile world dominion are represented by the five different materials used in the image, namely gold, silver, brass, iron, and an iron and clay mixture. These were the inheritors of, and the extenders of, the Assyrian empire, which in its turn was the revival of the kingdom of Nimrod. So the seven heads are: the kingdom of Nimrod; the Assyrian empire; the Babylonian; the Medo-Persian; the Grecian; the Roman, and finally, the kingdom of the beast. The heads of these empires represented the empire, (so that Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold, Daniel 2:38, even though the metals represented kingdoms). The kingdom of the beast is the amalgamation of all these empires into one, and like them, centred in Babylon.
When world empires are in view, therefore, the overall heads have the crown, whereas in its final form, the world empire will have ten subordinate kings, hence the horns representing those kings will have the crowns. We learn more of this in chapter 17:9,10, where we are told that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, (that is, in Scripture symbolism, seven kingdoms), five are fallen, (Nimrod’s empire, the Assyrian, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Grecian); one is, in John’s day, the Roman, and one is not yet come, the empire of the beast. We are told in 17:8 that the beast was, (at some time in the past), and is not, (in John’s day and ours), and shall ascend out of the abyss, (so as to rule the earth), and shall go into perdition, (when Christ consigns him to the Lake of Fire), 19:19,20. His past, present, and future is mapped out. Empires do not ascend out of the abyss, but men can, in exceptional circumstances.

Returning to our verse, we do so with the knowledge that the beast these men have overcome is the supreme world-ruler of the end-time, and who rules with the authority of the devil. No longer can believers submit themselves to the rulers, as Romans 13:1 requires in normal circumstances, for that would involve denying God. What is required by the beast is not simply submission, but worship, and this a true believer cannot give to a man, or the devil behind him.
So they refused to acknowledge the beast, and have been killed because of that refusal. But this does not mean they were defeated, for the reverse is the case, they valued the blood of the Lamb, and allegiance to Him, of greater worth than homage to Satan’s man, 12:11. They shall reap their reward, for we are told that they shall live and reign with Christ for a thousand years, 20:4. The beast will slay them for not recognising his crown, but they shall reign with the one whose crown they did recognise.
And over his image- the image of the beast will be set up in the temple at Jerusalem in the middle of the last seven-year period before Christ comes to reign, Matthew 24:15. It will mark the start of the Great Tribulation. The previous three and a half years will indeed be a time of tribulation, but the second half will be unprecedented for its trial and anguish.
And over his mark- only those who receive the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of the beast, will be able to buy or sell. That mark will have to be in their right hand or in their forehead, verse 16. It will be “Receive the mark or starve!” Those who choose to take the latter course, will be over-comers, for they show the reality of their faith. During those times, God’s judgements will mean that food is scarce, hence there will be a double difficulty for those who are faithful to God, because not having the beast’s mark will mean that few will be prepared to sell them food, being fearful for their own lives if they do so. They will pray as never before “Give us this day our daily bread”, Matthew 5:11. God will see to it that there wil be those who will dare to feed them, thereby showing themselves sympathetic to God, and will consequently be rewarded when the king comes, for it will be as if they have fed Him, see Matthew 25:37-40. The blood of the Lamb gives them courage, not only in the sense that their sins have been cleansed through it, and they have no fear of dying, but also because He was the supreme over-comer, the forces against Him being so immense. Shadrach and his friends overcome in connection with an image, for they refused the one that was set up at the beginning of the Times of the Gentiles. The over-comers of this chapter refused to worship the image at the end of that time.
The word for mark that is used here is an impressed mark, an engraving. It is used of the markings on carving and sculpture, being the word translated “graven work” in Acts 17:29, a reference to idols. Could it not be, therefore, that the mark men must have is a reproduction of some feature on the image of the beast? God put a mark upon Cain for murdering his brother. Instead of being struck down, he was a marked man for the rest of his life, a living warning to the rest of men against murdering their fellows. Those who accept the mark of the beast, 10:29, consent to the murder of Christ, and tread Him underfoot for themselves, Hebrews 6:6.
And over the number of his name- many and varied have been the ideas put forward with regard to the number 666, the number of the beast. We are told in 13:18, however, that it is the number of his name, and it is the number of a man. Now ancient letters of the alphabet had numerical values attached to them, so if the name of a man could be found which had the numerical value of 666, then we might be near to solving the puzzle.
At this point we must do some groundwork. Jeremiah tells us that “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the world drunken”, Jeremiah 51:7. In other words, the idolatry that has always been centred at Babylon has spread throughout the whole world, so that the main features of original idolatry are found everywhere. The different names for the characters involved are due to the confounding of languages at Babel.
Now the main basis for heathen mythology is the story of Nimrod and his prowess as a ruler and a hunter. Such was his fame that the Bible records the saying about him, “Wherefore as it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord”, Genesis 10:9. His wife was Semiramis. Nimrod was slain, however, some say by Shem. Semiramis became the prominent one at this point, but she also claimed to be with child supernaturally, so that the child born to her was the re-incarnation of the father, Nimrod. From this is derived the notion of the worship of the Mother and the Child, a common theme in pagan idolatry, whether in Egypt as Isis and Osiris; India as Isi and Iswara; Asia as Cymbele and Deoius; in pagan Rome, as Fortuna and Jupiter-puer; in Greece as Ceres, the Great Mother, with her baby, or as Irene with the boy Plutus; in Papal Rome, the Madonna and Child.
So it is that the son is the manifestation of the father; a blasphemous imitation of the relationship of the Son of God to His Father. He could say of a truth “He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father”. Heathen religion is Satan’s counterfeit, established early on in the history of the world, but destined to be perpetuated until the end of man’s day, when Christ comes and sweeps away the refuge of lies.
Nimrod was worshipped as a god, under the name Saturn. Now Saturn in Chaldean consists of only four letters, STUR. The numerical value of these letters is 60 + 400 + 6 + 200 = 666. This is “the number of a name”, and is also “the number of a man”, Nimrod. Couple this with the fact that the beast is destined to ascend out of the abyss, and although the eighth, is of the seven, we are almost forced to the conclusion that the beast will be Nimrod resurrected.

The Gilgamesh Epic is about the king of Uruk, another form of Erech, one of Nimrod’s cities, Genesis 10:10. The Epic claims that Gilgamesh was two-thirds god and one-third man, and was a giant. If the terrible event recorded in Genesis 6 where “the sons of God saw the daughters of men and took them wives of all that they chose” was the intrusion of fallen angels into the world of men, and if this was repeated after the flood, as Genesis 6:4 hints with the words “and also after that”, then it may well be that one of these giants was Nimrod. So not only will Satan parody the relationship of Christ the Son to His Father, he will also parody the virgin birth, where a child has no human father. Think how powerful a deception this will be in the days when the Holy Spirit is not operating so freely as He is today!

The word Nimrod, often translated rebel, can also be rendered otherwise. To quote Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons, in his footnote on page 44, “The name Nimrod is commonly derived from Mered, ‘to rebel’; but a difficulty has always been found in regard to this derivation, as that would make the name Nimrod properly passive, not ‘the rebel’, but ‘he who was rebelled against'”. So Hislop proposes the alternative derivation from Nimr, a leopard, and rada or rad, to subdue. The ancients used leopards for hunting, and it seems that Nimrod was the first one to employ them in this way, which no doubt gave him the advantage over others, and helped to build up the legend of his hunting abilities. It is surely significant, therefore, that the beast of which we are speaking is in fact a leopard, albeit with the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion, 13:2. This is not figurative only, but gives the clue to who is meant.
Stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God- when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, they were overcome with sadness, and hung their harps on the willow trees. Their enemies taunted them, and challenged them to sing the songs of Zion. They replied, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” Ps. 137:4.
These who are spoken of in this verse are about to sing the Lord’s song, their afflictions over, for they are no longer in a strange land, and God has given them the harps they need to accompany their song. They are going to sing three songs. First, the Song of Moses, then the Song of the Lamb, then they will sing their own song. The first has been composed for them especially; the second can be taken up by all who know the salvation of the Lamb; the third is the expression of their own feelings towards God.

15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God- we have already alluded to the correspondence between Solomon’s temple arrangements and the views of heaven we are given in this Book of Revelation. In 1 Chronicles 25:1 we learn that the temple choristers prophesied with the harp. In other words, their prophesying or making known of the mind of God was accompanied and complemented by the playing of the harp. So it is here, for while they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, the words of which are found in Deuteronomy 32 and Exodus 12 respectively, they add words of their own, as recorded in verses 3 and 4.
Moses was instructed to “write this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel”. The particular witness was against Israel for turning away from God to other gods, and when troubles befell them, “it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of thy seed”.
The Song closes on a note of victory, for God calls for rejoicing at what He has done, repeats His intention of avenging Israel’s enemies, and declares He is prepared to be merciful to the land, Deuteronomy 32:43. The last phrase indicates that the work of Christ at Calvary has ensured that the land of Israel can be purged of the stain of His blood, and mercy can be known by those who dwell in it. Clearly, this is a summary of the history of the children of Israel, and is the fitting subject of song for those who have overcome every obstacle to stand before God.
And the song of Lamb, saying- if Moses taught them one song, the Lamb taught them the other. The Song of the Lamb is also a song of triumph, but does not speak of the failure of the people, but rather the absolute triumph of God over His foes, for the host of the Egyptians were utterly defeated at the Red Sea. What God had done in Exodus 12 He reaffirms in Exodus 15. If the Song of Moses is a song from the Lord to rebuke, then the Song of the Lamb is a song from the people, to rejoice.
Notice the order. The Song of Moses is second, chronologically, but is first morally, and this company acknowledges that. There must be the rebuke from the Lord acted upon, before the redemption of the Lord is celebrated.
Great and marvellous are Thy works- the over-comers now sing their own song, and speak of God’s works and God’s ways. As to His works, they believe them to be great and marvellous. In a world where the beast is dominant, and where his name and his prowess are everywhere celebrated, these have overcome such a world by faith, 1 John 5:4,5, and attribute this to the Lord God Almighty. The climax to the beast’s impiety is his claim to be God. These have said a resounding and definite No! to this, and have recognised the God of heaven alone. They will have lived through a time when the beast has broken his covenant with Israel, Daniel 9:27, but they see in God the one who, as Lord, is faithful to His promises and covenants. They have known the activities of the false prophet, as he performs signs and wonders to attract worship to the beast. These have seen through the error of that, and recognise God to be, not simply mighty, but Almighty.
Lord God Almighty- God as the Almighty is first mentioned in the word to Abraham, “I am the Almighty God, walk before Me and be thou perfect”, Genesis 17:1. The Almighty is the God who is enough, sufficient for every situation. This He will prove during the time of Tribulation, for no device of the enemy will serve to outwit Him.
God said to Moses, “I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name Jehovah I was not known to them. And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan”, Exodus 6:2,3,4. So at a critical point in the history of His dealings with the seed of Abraham, just as He was about to deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt, He establishes that He is Jehovah, or Lord, as well as being God Almighty. Lord will be the title Israel will give Him, whereas God Almighty had been the title the patriarchs had used.
Just and true are Thy ways- in a world that will be dominated by the Man of Sin, (for as preachers have often said, ‘The sin of man will result in the Man of Sin’), they have not been taken in by the “deceivableness of unrighteousness” that the apostle Paul wrote of, 2 Thessalonians 2:10. Nor have they believed the lie, verse 11 of that same chapter. God’s ways are just, not unrighteous like Antichrist’s. His ways are true, not deceitful like the Antichrist’s.
Thou King of saints- in the Book of Revelation the saints are normally believers, whereas in the Book of Daniel the saints are normally angels, God’s holy ones. He is Lord of Hosts, whether those hosts be considered as angel-hosts or starry-hosts. The emphasis here is on His kingship, for He is the source of sovereignty, being King eternal, 1 Timothy 1:17, and King of Israel, Isaiah 44:6. This suggests that here the saints are, in fact, angels.
We know from the book of Daniel that there are holy ones and watchers who observe the dealings of kings, and act accordingly, see Daniel 4:13-17. Angels also have guardianship of nations, Michael the archangel being charged with this task as regards Israel, Daniel 12:1. In the Old Testament era, however, their ability to resist evil angels was restricted, as we see from the fact that the prince of Persia, (that is, the evil guardian angel of Persia), withstood Gabriel, (see Daniel 8:16; 9:21), and had to be assisted by Michael the archangel, Daniel 10:13. Since Christ has, by His death, “spoiled principalities and powers”, and “made a show of them openly”, Colossians 2:15, demonstrating by His resurrection that He had gained the victory over them and all they represented, things are different. We see this illustrated by the fact that Michael the archangel was of lesser power than the Devil in the matter of Moses’ body, Jude 9, whereas in a day to come only an “ordinary” angel, (not even a “strong angel”), will be able to bind Satan, Revelation 20:1-3. Such is the change that Christ’s cross has effected.
These over-comers will have known the preserving care of the spirits who are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation”, Hebrews 1:14, (salvation in that context meaning entrance into Messiah’s kingdom), and they ascribe glory and honour to the One who sent them forth.

15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest.

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? these believers continue their praise by speaking of three things. First, of the fear of God and the desire to glorify His name because of the way He has expressed His holiness; Second, all nations coming to worship. Third, God’s judgements having been made known.
The fear of God and the desire to glorify His name, (which means to glorify the way in which He expresses Himself), has replaced the fear of man, even a man like the beast. Refusing to glorify Him by worshipping him or his image, they show that they are resolved to glorify God alone.
For Thou only art holy- they are prompted to this response by the manifestation of His holiness. The word for holiness here is not the usual one telling of God’s separateness. This is the word telling of His mercy and grace. God promises that He will bless men with the “sure mercies of David”, Acts 13:34; that is, those blessings which came upon David through God’s mercy and kindness to him, but which now are granted to men through Christ risen. This is the line of reasoning that Paul uses in the passage referenced above.
For all nations shall come and worship before Thee- these over-comers anticipate the kingdom age, when Jerusalem shall be the centre of the worship of the nations of the earth, for “all nations shall flow unto it”, Isaiah 2:2, and the day when Babylon is the centre of the worship of Satan’s man will be gone.
For Thy judgements are made manifest- before that time comes there will be a period of intense judgement, as described in the next chapter, when the verdict of God upon the scene over which they overcame will be abundantly manifest.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION CHAPTER 15, VERSES 5 TO 8:

15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

(c) Verses 5-8 The retribution on the beast-worshippers

15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

And after that I looked, and, behold- not only did John see what was taking place, but he writes so that we may have a grasp of it too.
The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened- in 4:1 John had seen a door opened in heaven, figurative of the rapture of the saints to heaven. In 11:19, the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament. This is immediately prior to the details in chapter 12 about Israel’s preservation in the wilderness, and the rule of the beast in chapter 12. This is the assurance that God’s rule is still operative, and He will be faithful to the nation with which He has entered into covenant. Here, the emphasis is on the tabernacle of the testimony, as we shall see. Finally, in 19:11, heaven is opened, this time to allow Christ to ride forth to the defeat of His enemies.
At the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon “brought up the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the congregation…and the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place…” 1 Kings 8:4,6. At this point in Israel’s history, the tabernacle, (the moveable wilderness structure, perhaps simply represented by the innermost curtain, which is the tabernacle proper), recedes, and the ark remains. At the captivity, the ark recedes too, for all the vessels of the House of God were taken to Babylon, 2 Chronicles 36:18, and there is no specific mention of the ark. With the government of the earth now in the hands of Gentiles, and with God as the God of heaven, Daniel 2:44, it is appropriate that the symbol of the Divine Presence and rule should not be mentioned.
There is no specific reference to the ark in verse 5 either, for the emphasis is on testimony. The tables of stone were called the testimony, and instead of the assertion of God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Israel, (appropriate in chapter 11 as it leads into chapter 12), there is the assertion of the abiding character of the commandments He gave in testimony to men. They flout His laws at their peril, as they are about to find out. The heavenly temple is called the tabernacle of the testimony, thus linking the idea of the wilderness tabernacle with the kingdom temple. But the point is that in each building there was the same ark- God’s testimony as unchanged. And so it is in the days of the seven angels.
The testimony is in heaven, the centre of Divine administration, whilst on earth, in the temple at Jerusalem, the image of the beast is openly challenging God for supremacy.

15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues- these are the seven angels already mentioned in verse 1. Both there, and here, they are said to have the seven plagues, yet they are not given the bowls containing these plagues until the next verse. Perhaps the thought is that they have the plagues as far as the purpose of God is concerned, but are not actually authorised to execute the judgement until handed the bowls by the living creature. They now come out from the temple to receive their instructions and fulfil their task.
Clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles- as befits those who act for God, they have pure and white linen robes, for God’s judgements are always righteous, and free from any impure motive. They are princely and dignified in their attitude, too, for their breasts are girded with a golden girdle. They are not girded around the waist as if for menial tasks, but act confidently and unhurriedly, (for if running was in view, they would gird up their loins), carrying out the will of God in judgement. Princes and dignitaries of the earth would be thus attired as they moved in the palaces of men. How much more should these be arrayed and robed as befits the presence of the King of eternity. So they act in a priestly manner, with princely dignity, for they are carrying out the judgements allotted to them by Christ the King-priest.

15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God- we now learn in what way the seven plagues will be administered. Instead of using a bowl to carry incense, these will use it to carry wrath. It is almost as if the praise of heaven is suspended briefly, whilst God inflicts His final judgements upon men, and in particular, the beast. It is not that His wrath will be exhausted by these judgements, for that will endure for all eternity against sinners in the Lake of Fire, 14:10,11.
As the bowls of wrath are especially to execute severe judgements on the earth and heavens, it is fitting that a representative of these hands the angels the bowls, thus indicating that those close to the throne know this to be the will of God- it is not a maverick action on the part of angels out of line with the will of God.
Who liveth for ever and ever- this is specially mentioned here, for He will endure eternally, whilst even the mightiest of those who oppose Him, whether men or devils, are consigned to the Lake of Fire.

15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power- the glory and power of God are now combining in fiery indignation against the men of earth. No wonder His presence is filled with smoke.
And no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled- none could enter His presence to plead with Him to restrain His judgements, but they are poured out without pity upon the godless world of men, as they range themselves against Him is wilful and calculated rebellion. The climax of six thousand years of earth’s history has arrived, and God’s patience has finally been exhausted.
When the tabernacle and the temple were completed, the glory of God filled the place, and in the case of the tabernacle, Moses was not able to enter, Exodus 40:35, and in the case of the temple, the priests could not do so, 1 Kings 8:11. How much more so cannot man enter, when God’s glory is manifested in His power.
The word fulfilled reminds us that the time of full judgement has arrived. The seven last plagues fill up the wrath of God, as verse 1 says, and not until they have been poured out will His anger be satisfied.

As Moses said when the ark set forward, Numbers 10:35,36:

“Rise up, Lord,
and let thine enemies be scattered:
and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee”.

And when it rested, he said,

“Return, O Lord,
unto the many thousands of Israel”.

REVELATION 13

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Introduction to the chapter
Having had explained to Him by God the position regarding the nation of Israel during the Tribulation Period in chapters 10,11 and 12, the apostle is now informed about two personages that will dominate that period. They are called the first beast and the second beast. The word beast is different to that used of the four living creatures associated with God’s throne, 4:6-8, for those living creatures are angelic beings, and are the agents used of God to execute judgement. These beasts, however, are wild beasts, and are the agents of the Devil. The first beast is otherwise known as Antichrist, 1 John 2:18, the Man of Sin, 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The second beast is otherwise known as the False Prophet, Revelation 19:20.

The Book of the Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, for He is central to the whole of it. The Book of Daniel, however, could be called the Revelation of the Antichrist, for there is much about him in that book. This is why there is a limited amount in the Book of Revelation about the Antichrist, for it has already been said in the Old Testament. God was working throughout Old Testament times to bring in His Son, the Messiah, the Seed of the woman, but Satan was also working to bring in his anti-messiah, the seed of the serpent. The reason why this latter thing has not happened yet is because the Holy Spirit is restraining evil, so that the antichrist cannot be revealed until God’s time has come. Meanwhile, God in longsuffering is waiting for men to repent. John, however, is going to tell us about Satan’s man, who will rise up in the end time.

Truths about the character of the coming antichrist are set out in Daniel chapter 8:10-12; 23-27, as follows:

1. He waxes great even to the extent of being able to influence the host of heaven, meaning the angel hosts, verse 10. As we learn later, this king is energised by Satanic power, and hence it is no surprise that he can control spirit-beings. In chapter 10 we learn that there is conflict in heaven between holy and evil angel-representatives of the nations, and that victory is not easily achieved by the holy angels, such is the power of evil. So successful is this king in verse 10, that he is able to cast some of the host of heaven and the stars, meaning, presumably, angels, to the ground and triumph over them. This is awesome power, and reminds us we should not underestimate the power of the Devil. We take comfort from the fact, however, that the eventual triumph of Christ is assured, (for “He shall send forth truth to victory”, Matthew 12:20), and meanwhile, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”, 1 John 4:4.

2. He so exalts himself that he aspires to attack Christ Himself, verse 11. We read the armies of the Antichrist make war with the Lamb in Revelation 19:19, and this statement is to the same effect. Not only is he antichrist in the sense of “instead of” Christ, but also in the sense of “against Christ”, for the Greek word “anti” has both these meanings.

3. He interferes with the sacrifices offered on the altar in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem, verse 11. Chapter 9:27 tells of a covenant with the majority in Israel to allow them to resume their temple worship. This covenant he breaks after three and a half years, and this signals the commencement of the Great Tribulation, Matthew 24:15,21.

4. A host is given him against the daily sacrifice. A host is a multitude, especially when organised for war. The fact that he is able to cause the sacrifices offered to God to cease suggests Satan allots some of his demon-forces to allow him to do this without God’s angels, and in particular Michael, preventing him. Michael does not seem to be as strong as the Devil, as is seen in Jude 9, and Daniel 10:13 indicates that Gabriel was no match for the angel-prince of Persia until Michael came to assist him. In verse 11 he magnifies himself against the prince of the host, which from 12:1 we learn is Michael, the prince that stands for the children of Israel.

5. He casts down the truth to the ground. This word “cast down”, is used in verses 7,11,12. The idea is of throwing out, down, or away. Here the little horn attacks the truth, and succeeds in casting it down, meaning that he persuades many to apostatise, especially in Israel, where the majority of the nation have sided with him, and only a remnant remains true to God. John tells us that one of the main features of the antichrist is that he denies both the Father and the Son, 1 John 2:22; 4:3. In other words, he totally rejects Christianity, with its emphasis on the revelation of the Father by the Son. We shall see when looking at verse that his main weapon is his ability to sway the masses with his oratory, just like many dictators have done in recent times.

6. He practises and prospers, for evil is having its final attempt to overthrow the things of God, verse 12. It will be said that “all the world wondered after the beast”, and no-one is able to make war with him, Revelation 13:3,4.

7. He has a fierce countenance, for he will act with unimaginable cruelty, such is the nature of the man, verse 23. It is no coincidence that he is likened to a wild beast, unmerciful and untamed. All the features of the bear, (relentless attack), the lion (fierce attack with strength), and the leopard, (swift decisive attack), will combine in him. In this he is like the one who empowers him, who is responsible for the misery and heartache experienced by men through the ages.

8. He understands dark sentences, indicating that Satan gives him insight into the mysteries that have been hidden from the mass of men down the centuries. These secrets enable him to gain and keep hold of the minds of men.

9. His power is mighty, but he owes it to another, for he will have succumbed to the temptation of the Devil, verse 24. He had offered the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them to Christ, if He would bow down to worship him. This the Lord refused to do, but this man will have done it, so that “the dragon gave him his power, his seat, and great authority”, Revelation 13:2.

10. He destroys wonderfully, for all the world shall wonder after the beast, such is the impressive nature of the things he is able to do by Satanic power. He shall prosper, but God is in control, allowing the Devil to overreach himself so that he may be finally and decisively defeated.

11. He shall destroy the mighty and holy people, (literally “the people of the holy ones”, the ones spoken of in chapter 7:27), that part of the nation of Israel which refuses to renounce God. Such is the intensity of his onslaught against them that only a third pass through the fire to enter the kingdom age. Zechariah 13:9 had spoken of this, and it is interesting that Christ took a third of His apostles onto the Mount of Olives to tell them of these things, as recorded in Matthew 24. They represent the faithful remnant of Israel in that chapter, whereas in John 13-17 they represent the church.

12. Through his policy he causes craft to prosper under his control, verse 25. Satan used the serpent in the Garden because it was more subtle or crafty than all other beasts of the field. Of course, before sin entered this simply meant that the serpent was crafty or skilful in the best sense. The devil used that characteristic to his own ends with the serpent at the beginning, and now is using it with the antichrist at the end.

13. Magnifying of self is a feature of the devil, and the antichrist shares it. Pride is the condemnation of the devil, 1 Timothy 3:6, who sought in pride to be like the Most High, Isaiah 14:14. We learn that this pride on the part of the antichrist is the same, for he will magnify himself even above gods that are worshipped. Satan is using him to try to gain the goal he sought at the beginning when he tried to usurp the throne of God. He still has the five-point plan he had then, see Isaiah 14:13,14.

14. By peace he destroys many, peace having the sense of “ease”, freedom from anxiety, freedom from stress. Those who worship him will be rewarded by him. They will be called “them that dwell upon the earth” in Revelation 13:8, who are content with earth, have no thought of heaven, and deny the existence of hell.

15. He will be so bold as to stand up against Christ, the Prince over the angel-princes. He will no doubt attempt this by the devilish power Satan has given him. We little appreciate the power the Devil still wields, even though he is a defeated foe.

16. He will be broken “without hand”, meaning without any coming to “give him a hand”, in other words, he will be isolated and utterly defeated. Such were the tremendous issues involved in this vision, and in particular the events concerning the little horn, that Daniel fainted, and was sick. He was astonished at what the vision indicated, but no-one understood the precise meaning of it.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION CHAPTER 13, VERSES 1 TO 10:

13:1 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.

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.

13:3 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.

13:4 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?

13:5 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.

13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

13:7 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.

13:8 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.

13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

13:10 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 structure of the passage
This is very simple, with the first beast the subject of verses 1-10, and the second beast the subject of verses 11-18.

Verses 1-10 The first beast

13:1 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.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea- the apostle, on the island of Patmos, 1:9, is given a vision that he was standing on the shore of the island, looking out from Patmos into the Mediterranean.
The prophet Daniel had a similar experience, but we know that he had “visions of his head upon his bed”, Daniel 7:1. In his vision, Daniel saw that the four winds of heaven were causing a storm on the Great Sea, which to Daniel would have meant the Mediterranean, and four beasts had come up from the stormy sea, (for the winds strove upon it, indicating great forces at work), and he had described them in turn. John does not describe the sea as being rough and stormy.
And saw a beast rise up out of the sea- whereas Daniel saw four beasts, John saw only one. Historians are agreed that European civilisation began on the island of Crete, which is opposite the Aegean Sea but in the Mediterranean, the Great Sea of Old Testament times. The island was far enough away from Patmos to be over the horizon, so it would seem that the beast has some connection with Crete, for it appeared to John to rise up out of the sea. It is interesting to note that the legend of Europa, the woman who rode upon the beast, was connected with Crete also. Europa appears on the Greek euro coin.
Having seven heads and ten horns- in the previous chapter it was the dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, but these characteristics have been transferred to this beast. We shall see from the next verse that this is because he rises with the authority of Satan behind him.
And upon his horns ten crowns- in the case of the dragon, his crowns were upon his heads, whereas this beast has them on his horns. Now crowns denote that a coronation has taken place, and power has been conferred. In the case of the seven empires represented by the heads, the crowns or diadems upon them spoke of rule exercised in the past through successive empires and emperors. Now, however, the crowns are on the horns, and they rule simultaneously, as 17:12 will tell us, for they “receive power as kings one hour with the beast”.
And upon his heads the name of blasphemy- so on each head there is but one name. We are not told precisely what they name is, but we can be sure that the leading idea behind the seven successive empires is that of the claim of Lucifer to be God. This, indeed, is blasphemy.

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.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard- now it is often said that the four beasts that Daniel saw in his vision, are simply God’s view of the empires which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream in the form of metals in an image. Those were the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman empires in succession. But when Daniel enquired the meaning of his own dream, he was told that “those great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth”, Daniel 7:17. But at the point in time when Daniel had his dream, the Babylonian empire and its head had been in existence for forty-nine years, and in about seventeen years would be defeated by the Persian empire. In no way could it be said to be about to arise, when in fact it was about to fall.
Now the four beasts Daniel saw were a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a beast too terrible to describe, Daniel 7:4-7. And the beast John saw was a leopard, had bear’s feet, and a lion’s mouth. It is surely inescapable that there is some connection between what Daniel saw, and what John saw. It is said of the first three beasts in Daniel 7 that their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. This is explained in our passage, for the leopard-emperor has incorporated three empires, with their characteristics, into his empire. They live on, but only because of involvement with him.
So the animal John saw was a leopard. Now the name Nimrod means “Rebel”. But it also has connections with the word for a leopard. This is significant, for Nimrod’s rise to power came because he was a renowned hunter. He began by hunting animals, and then began hunting down men. In the East, the leopard is often used in hunting because of its swiftness. Sadly, this characteristic will mark the last empire and its emperor.
And his feet were as the feet of a bear- this animal is noted for its large paws, and its ability to use those paws to pounce upon and hold its prey. So this leopard hunts down its prey with swiftness, and then, bear-like, holds it fast.
And his mouth as the mouth of a lion- having captured its prey, it devours it with cruelty. There is built up a picture here of terrible fierceness and savagery, and gives us the impression of the wickedness and heartlessness that will be displayed by this beast.
And the dragon gave him his power- we see now why this animal has seven heads and ten horns. It is because the dragon has these features, and it is made in the image of the dragon. Whatever features the dragon has displayed through the centuries, this beast will display during his brief despotic rule.
When the Devil tempted the Lord Jesus, we read, “And the devil, taking Him up into a high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, ‘All this will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore will worship me, all shall be Thine'”, Luke 4:5-7. Such was the offer made to the Lord Jesus. The fact that the sight of the kingdoms was in a moment of time suggests there was a time factor involved here. Is it not all the kingdoms of the world since Nimrod’s that is in view here? After all, at the time of Christ there was really only one kingdom, that of Rome, for Caesar could cause all the world to be taxed, Luke 2:1.
But there was a price to pay for all this glory, and it was giving Divine honours to Satan. That price the Lord Jesus had no intention at all to pay. He did not even consider it a possible option. When He was tempted it was “without sin”, Hebrews 4:15, which does not just mean that no sin resulted, but it means that His mind was not open to the possibility of sinning. When the right time comes, God will say to His Son, “Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession”, Psalm 2:8. When that time comes men will bow down before Him, not to the devil.
The Greek word for power used here is dunamis, from which we get the English word “dynamite”. The Devil will give the beast explosive power, the ability to demolish ancient and well-established things that have a Scriptural basis, and introduce that which is Satanic. There is a persistent movement at the present time to remove Christian concepts from the thinking of men, so that the barbarism of the ancient pagan world may be introduced in their place. Abortion, euthanasia, Satan-worship were features of the world then, and their re-emergence now is a sign that the end times are close. How close we do not know, so it is important for any reader who is not yet saved, to get right with God as a matter of urgency by seeking His salvation through Christ.
And his seat- this is the place from which a ruler exercises his rule. From the time that men began to rule over others, the city of Babylon has been their capital. It was so with Nimrod, and also Shalmaneser of the Assyrian empire, and Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian empire. Successive empires took over the territory of these emperors, and so included Babylon in their boundaries, even if not as their capital. The Babylon-spirit dominated. As human rule began, so shall it finish, for Babylon is destined to rise again, and become the capital city of the world-kingdom of the Antichrist. We shall have to discuss this when considering chapters 17 and 18.
And great authority- it is one thing to have explosive power, the ability to shatter and destroy. It is another thing to have a throne from which that power can emanate. But what of the authority to wield that power? This the Devil will give to his man.
The apostle Paul wrote, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake”, Romans 13:1-5.
The word for power used five times in that passage is the same word translated authority in Revelation 13. So in an overall sense, God is the source of all authority. He has ordained that some men should have authority, so that evil may be punished, and those who do well may be commended. They may levy taxes to pay for those two things, and they may honour those who assist them in that, but that is the limit of their authority from God. However, Satan is the prince of this world, and as such seeks to go further, and dominate the affairs of men, and so influence and control them that eventually he is worshipped. The wonder of it is that he has been given by God a certain amount of freedom to exercise his own authority in this way. This is strictly controlled, and he cannot go further that God allows him to go. It is in this sense that the Devil gives authority to the first beast; he is allowed to do so that he, and the Devil, may over-reach themselves and be destroyed.
We see this illustrated in the case of Pharoah, who afflicted the people of God, but God was over all, and He said, “Even for this same cause have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth”, Romans 9:17. So it shall be at the end time, for the Devil will bring about his own downfall.

13:3 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.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death- the word for wounded used here has the idea of the butchering of an animal, either for food or for sacrifice. In fact it is found in Acts 7:42, where Stephen quotes from Amos 5:25-27, “O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?” Sadly, many in Israel sacrificed to demons and not to God during that time. But the idea is of a sacrificial animal being slain.
It is also used in chapter 5 of this book, in verses 6, 9, and 12, and also in this chapter, verse 8, in connection with Christ as the Lamb as it had been slain. In line with this, the Ethiopian eunuch, as he read from Isaiah 53:7, found that it is said of Christ, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter”.
Is this one of Satan’s wicked deceptions being worked out, that he presents his false Christ as if it has been slaughtered for sacrifice, and yet is healed of its deadly wound? Thus the parody of the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Christ is foisted on humanity, and they are deceived.
And his deadly wound was healed- the manner in which an animal is slaughtered for sacrifice is by having its throat cut, and this ensures that the blood of the animal drains freely out. This is indeed a deadly wound. This manner of death is impossible to reverse in normal circumstances, but in the case of the first beast it seems that is the case, for he is not said to have been raised from the dead, but healed. We are not told who did the healing, but it is not beyond Satan to work this. In the ancient world he was worshipped as Aesculapius, the Serpent who heals. This will not prevent the Devil passing this off as a resurrection.
And all the world wondered after the beast- having largely rejected the gospel, and been conditioned to listen to lies and believe them, and with the Holy Spirit withdrawn at the time of the coming of the Lord for the church, they will be at the mercy of the one who “deceiveth the whole world”, 12:9.

13:4 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?

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast- this is the goal to which he has been moving for six thousand years, and for a brief period he will have achieved his object.
And they worshipped the beast, saying- just as there is Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Godhead, there will be, in stark contrast, the Dragon, the beast and the false prophet. And just as the Father and Son are worshipped, but not the Holy Spirit, (except when the Godhead is worshipped without distinction of persons), so the Dragon and the beast are worshipped.
Who is like unto the beast? They worship him for two reasons, and this is the first, his supposed pre-eminence, in opposition to God’s Christ, who has been made firstborn from among the dead, “that in all things He might have the pre-eminence”, Colossians 1:18.
Who is able to make war with him? Not only do they worship because of the place the dragon has allowed him to occupy, but because of the power he has been given. Men feel that he is invincible, and therefore worship out of fear.

13:5 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.

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies- this had been foretold in Daniel’s prophecy. We read, “and behold, in this horn were the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things”, Daniel 7:8. “And a mouth that spake very great things”, 7:20. “And he shall speak great words against the Most High”, 7:25. “And shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods”, 11:36. A man who possesses great powers of oratory can sway the masses, so that they hang on his every word, and, whipped up into a frenzy, do what they would not normally do.
The speaking of great words against the Most High would involve the denial of the Father and the Son that John writes about in his first epistle, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son”, 1 John 2:22. Daniel prophesied of this too, when he said that Antichrist will cast down the truth to the ground, Daniel 8:12.
And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months- it seems that there are two stages to the emergence of the Antichrist, for there must be a period when the other three empires of Daniel’s vision have a share in world domination. It is said of the first three beasts in his dream that they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season. Does this mean that their dominion was transferred to the fourth beast, who is the first beast of Revelation 13? If this is the case, then their lives were prolonged in the sense that they continued as part of the final Antichrist empire, and their features continued to be manifest, inasmuch as the beast of this chapter has the characteristics of all three.
When this has taken place, however, and the Antichrist has none to rival him, he will assert himself by setting up his image in the temple at Jerusalem, thus declaring that he is to be worshipped. This is the signal for the second half of the Tribulation Period to run its course, hence the mention of forty two months, or three and a half years.
It is not just that he continues for that period in the same way as before, the idea of the word continue is “operate”. He will conduct himself in a different way in the second half of the seven-year period. There is a stark contrast between allowing the worship of God in the temple at Jerusalem, and demanding that the world worship him.

13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God- this verse expands on the statement in verse 5, “a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies”. The great things are to elevate himself, and the blasphemies are to denigrate God in the eyes of men. We should not think of this personage simply in terms of political position. His main agenda is to dethrone God, and banish Him from the universe, for that is the agenda of Satan his master.
To blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven- we should remember that God has already started to judge the world as detailed in chapter 6, but far from repenting, this man responds by blaspheming God’s name, the crime that in Israel merits stoning to death, so serious was it.
God’s tabernacle is the place from whence the judgements come, as we see from 15:5,6, hence his profane anger against it. He also blasphemes those who, because they revered the name of God in their lifetime, are now safe in heaven out of his reach. But that does not stop him cursing them, just as Shimei cursed David from a distance, 2 Samuel 16:15.

13:7 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.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them- notice God is still in control here, for the beast can only act as permission is granted to him. He does not overcome the saints in the sense that he causes them to recant and deny the faith. Rather, he kills them, but that is all he is able to do. Daniel foretold this in the words, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and judgement was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom”, Daniel 7:21,22. The Lord Jesus promised “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”, Matthew 24:13. They do not necessarily have to endure to the end in relation to time, but in relation to holding to the faith until the end of their earthly journey, whether it is terminated by a martyr’s death, or by the coming of Christ to reign. We saw in 12:11 that they loved not their lives unto the death. Their compensation will be to reign with Christ.
And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations- this power to hunt down those who believe and kill them had no boundaries, whether tribal, linguistical, or political. There will be no place on earth that is out of bounds to him, for he will have free range over the earth. This means that he will be seeking to counteract the evangelistic efforts of the one hundred and forty-four thousand evangelists that God had sent into the world at the beginning of the seven year period.

13:8 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.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him- that this is not an absolute statement is seen in that it is qualified in the second half of the verse. So not only has he power to kill those who refuse to bow to him, but he has power over all men to demand that they worship him. By so doing they will worship Satan himself, his master. This expression really defines men at this time. They will be earth-dwellers, having rejected God and His heaven, and not believing there is a hell.
Whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world– this is the defining feature of those who worship him. The question at this point is whether this means that the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world, or that the names are written from the foundation of the world. The answer is found in chapter 17 verse 8, where the same idea of having names in the book of life is found without the mention of the slain lamb. It reads, “and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world”. So it is names that are written from the foundation of the world, and not the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Of course it is true that the Lord Jesus, as God’s Lamb, was foreordained before the foundation of the world, 1 Peter 1:20, and our verse does not deny that.
The Epistle to the Hebrews makes it clear that one of the two main reasons why God made the earth was so that those who believe may enter into the Kingdom rest His Son will bring in. (The other great reason, of course, is so that His Son might live and die on the earth). The writer to the Hebrews links together the rest that God enjoyed at the end of creation week, and the rest the saints on earth will enjoy during Christ’s reign. So the foundation of the world has special relevance to the earth.
In accordance with this, the Lord Jesus said that those of the Tribulation period who believe, will enter into the kingdom prepared for them “from the foundation of the world”, Matthew 25:34. God has perfect and infallible foreknowledge of who will believe, and He secures their safety by inscribing their names in the Book of Life, for their faith is based on the slain lamb. He does not surrender His sovereignty by so doing, for it is an act of His sovereignty to do it. If He chooses to act in this way, who can say Him nay?
Saints of this present church age, however, will enter fully into the blessings that are vested in Christ “before the foundation of the world”, Ephesians 1:4. And this is only to be expected, because the hope of the church is heavenly, and the earth is not their destiny.
The word for slain as used of the Lamb in this verse, is the same as is translated “wounded” in verse 3. The antichrist is Satan’s counterfeit lamb, but he cannot bring redemption and the forgiveness of sins as the Lamb of God can.

13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

If any man have an ear, let him hear- ever the evangelist, John now inserts some exhortations here. All men have ears, given to them by God so that they may listen to His word. John encourages them to do so, given the horrific events that are yet to take place on the earth.

13:10 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.

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity- this verse does not exhort that who oppose God, but warns them of the consequences of their actions. The Lord Jesus warned His people that Jerusalem would at some point be surrounded by hostile armies, and that many “shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations”, Luke 21:24. These are the two things mentioned here. Those who lead into captivity shall themselves meet the same fate, but in a spiritual sense in terms of eternal judgement.
He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword- the same is true in the case of those who execute true believers, for they themselves will be likewise killed. God said in Moses’ day, speaking of the end times, “For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet My glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgement; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and I will reward them that hate Me”, Deuteronomy 32:40,41.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints- the saints of those times will be able to endure, because they are sure God will eventually vindicate them and deal with their enemies. This is Old Testament sentiment, which will re-emerge in the time of Tribulation, for the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy is really connected with the periods that went before it, the church age having intervened.
They will also have listened with the ear of faith, as exhorted by verse 9, and will continue in faith as they wait for Christ to come. The prophet Habakkuk had spoken of those who would refuse to draw back, as if they did not believe Messiah was coming, but would eagerly expect the one who will come, and not tarry, Habakkuk 2:2-4; Hebrews 10:35-39.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION CHAPTER 13, VERSES 11 TO 18:

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.

13:12 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.

13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

13:14 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.

13:15 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.

13:16 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:

13:17 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.

13:18 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.

Verses 11-18 The second beast

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.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth- if the first beast arose out of the sea, as John looked out across the Mediterranean, then this one must arise out of either Greece or Turkey, the two land-masses either side of the island of Patmos.
And he had two horns like a lamb- a lamb does not have very aggressive horns, for they are only just showing, and cannot be used for fighting. So this beast seems to be innocent enough. We are not told whether he is altogether like a lamb, or whether just his horns are lamb-like.
And he spake as a dragon- as soon as he opens his mouth, it becomes clear that he is articulating the lies of the great dragon, Satan himself, 12:9. It is noticeable how both these beasts use words to gain their objectives. Jude prophesied of those who would be judged when Christ comes for all their hard speeches they had spoken against Him, Jude 15.

13:12 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.

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him- this explains why he speaks as a dragon, because the first beast’s power, or authority, is derived from the dragon himself. These three are united in their opposition to God and His Christ. The source of the authority is Satan himself, because he still has residual power as a former cherub. When he claimed that he was able to give the kingdoms of the world to the one that would worship him, Luke 4:6, the Lord Jesus did not dispute his claim.
The expression “before him” means “in the sight of”, “in the presence of”. The idea is that there is no trickery here, as if the wonders he performs are sleight of hand, but real miracles, done in the open. The magicians of Egypt were able to do wonders in Pharoah’s presence, Exodus 7:10-12.
And causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast- by so doing they will be worshipping Satan, for he is the evil force behind the Antichrist. This universal worship has been the aim of Satan from the very beginning, and he has partially achieved it by the introduction of idolatry. He will use these two beasts to finalise his rebellious plans.
The second beast causes the earth to worship the first beast. In Psalm 148, which anticipates the Millenial reign of Christ, the psalmist calls upon all creation, even inanimate things, to praise God. This is poetic language no doubt, but it is still real. Will the second beast have such power from Satan that he can cause even inanimate things to recognise the presence of the first beast? We should remember that the religion of the Antichrist will be pantheism, that God is all and all is God. He will be hailed as the highest expression of the process of evolution, not just of the body but the soul. This is what “Christ” is, to the pantheist, one who has harnessed the Force of the Universe to his advantage and advancement.
It is those who dwell upon the earth that worship the first beast. This does not mean all mankind, for there will be some believers still upon the earth. These people have a definite character, for they are earth-dwellers, not believing in hell, and not interested in heaven. They are ready to give to Antichrist what they should have given to Christ.
Whose deadly wound was healed- this wound and its healing is mentioned three times in this chapter, verses 3,12, and 14. It is the feature that is designed to cause wonder, convince the world that he is of God, and imitate Christ.

13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

And he doeth great wonders- as the Lord Jesus prophesied, “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”, Matthew 24:24. Again, the apostle Paul warned that the coming of the Man of Sin is “after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. So it is clear that Satan is behind this ability to work miracles, and it is done to further error and deceit, and to produce such awe and wonder that the world is prepared to worship the beast. If it be asked why they believe the Devil’s miracles when they did not believe Christ’s, then the answer is that since man is a sinner, his mind is receptive to error, and resistant to truth.
So that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men- Satan was worshipped of old under the name Baal, and amongst other things, Baal was the weather god. This is why the false prophets of Baal called upon him to answer by fire and consume their sacrifice, 1 Kings 18:24-29. They wanted the lightning to strike their sacrifice and consume it. The Devil has not forgotten his defeat on Mount Carmel, so he will assert himself and empower his agents to bring fire down from heaven. The lightning is awe-inspiring, and virtually uncontrollable, but the weather-god has power to send it down. Elijah also brought down fire from heaven to consume those who had come to arrest him, but here no-one seems to suffer, the fire simply comes down. Satan is trying to make out he is not only powerful, but harmless. That it is done in the sight of men is not only designed to impress them, but also to show that there is no trickery, but it is real wonder-working. Satan is the great trickster, but he does not need to use trickery all the time.

13:14 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.

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- the miracles the Lord Jesus performed were pointers to the truth, sometimes being called signs, for they had great significance. He said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works’ sake”, John 14:11. He had just said that He was “the truth”, and the works He did were a powerful expression of that. The false prophet, however, is working miracles to promote a lie, that Satan should be worshipped as God.
Saying to them that dwell on the earth- again we have mention of this class of people, who have no interest in heaven, and have settled down on the earth. They are distinct from the believers of that day, who have listened to the Word of God and have believed it.
That they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live- we now learn the origin of the image of the beast that is eventually set up in the temple at Jerusalem in the middle of the Tribulation Period. Those who dwell upon the earth are sympathetic to the workings of Satan, and are prepared to combine together so that this image is made to the glory of the Antichrist, and ultimately, to the glory of the god behind the idol, Satan himself.
Notice that in this verse there is an image to the beast, whereas in the next verse it is the image of the beast. Of course this could very well be the same single image. But there is the possibility that the beast-worshippers will make their own personal image to the beast, set up, perhaps in their own homes, (like the household gods of ancient times, and, for that matter, today in the houses of Buddhists), whilst the main image of the beast will be erected in the temple at Jerusalem.
After he had been given a dream about the succession of empires that would be in control during the Times of the Gentiles, Nebuchadnezzar set up an image in the plain of Dura, and commanded all to worship it. Nebuchadnezzar was told that the head of the image in his vision represented himself. He was clearly lifted up in pride through this, and made an image wholly of himself, thus claiming to be superior to all who would rule after him. His image was sixty cubits high and six cubits broad, so it had the number six about it. Daniel’s three friends refused to worship his image, and were thrown into the fiery furnace, thus becoming an illustration of those who refuse to worship anyone other than God. In particular, those believers of a coming day who will refuse to bow down to the image of the beast.
We are told here for the first and only time how the deadly wound was inflicted. It was by a sword, suggesting it was something that happened in battle. The Antichrist is being hailed as a war-hero, who has taken his devotion to the cause to the ultimate level, and as such, men think, is worthy of adulation. On the other hand, the word may be translated dagger, so there is the alternative possibility that he will be the object of an assassin’s attack, and this will gain him the goodwill of those disposed to follow him. Perhaps this is what is meant by the wonder or admiration of verse 3.

13:15 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.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast- this is staggering power, and should not be diluted by any thought that this is something mechanical. When Aaron threw his rod down before Pharoah and it became a serpent, that was a demonstration of Divine power. When the magicians did a similar thing, it may have been trickery, for it is possible to hold a serpent in such a way that it goes rigid. If their rods were rigid serpents anyway, it was a small thing to simply release their hold on them and allow them to wriggle free. But it may not have been trickery, or else it might be thought that Aarons’s action was trickery as well. What if the magicians had the power to cause demons to indwell their serpents, this would be awesome and Satanic. Of course, if this was the case, then when Aaron’s serpent swallowed their serpents, he was showing the superior power of God over the Ancient Serpent, Satan himself. When it came to making the dust into lice, Exodus 8:16-19, the magicians were powerless, and had to confess, “This is the finger of God”. So it seems that Satan is not able to bring life out of the lifeless, for that is God’s prerogative alone. But he is able to use the animal creation to further his fiendish ends.
Now the word that is translated “life” in Revelation 13:15, is not rendered in that way anywhere else in the New Testament. It is translated “ghost”, 91 times, (especially in connection with the Holy Ghost); life once, in this passage; spirit, 151 times; Spirit, 137 times; spiritual gift, once; wind, once; spiritually, once. So it is clear that “spirit” is the underlying meaning of the word.
Of the 151 times that the word is translated “spirit”, with a small “s”, in the New Testament, it is in relation to evil spirits at least 45 times. The Authorised translators wisely did not translate the word as spirit, lest we confuse it with the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless there is the possibility that such is the power of the false prophet, that he is able to cause the image to be possessed by a spirit, or demon, and hence be able to speak.
That the image of the beast should both speak- if the foregoing suggestion is correct, then it is quite easy for a demon to speak, and to utter the things that the Devil wants spoken. We should bear in mind that this is all happening in the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The innermost part of the temple of Solomon was called the oracle, or speaking place. Coupled with this, in the days of Moses, he went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, Exodus 34:35. Here is Satan’s counterfeit oracle, the means by which he speaks directly to his devotees, and does it while usurping God’s place in His temple. And if they each have their own domestic image, to speak to them personally as well.
And cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed- the word “both” in the previous phrase would suggest that the false prophet gives life to the image for two purposes, but those two purposes are in fact put into effect by the image itself. The image is enabled to speak, and it is also enabled to cause all who will not worship it to be killed. We can readily see how an evil spirit can call for this, having at his disposal, as he does, all the power of Satan and his agents at his disposal.

13:16 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:

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond- no class of men, whether reckoned in terms of influence, (small and great); affluence, (rich and poor); social class, (free and bond), will be exempt. There is no exception to the edict to worship the beast. But does the edict come from the false prophet, or from the image itself?
In Nebuchadnezzar’s day, “people, nations and languages” were all to worship his image. So the Times of the Gentiles begins with the worship of the image of a man, and it ends the same way, two and a half thousand years later. Paul writes of the pagan world, that it “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things”, they thus “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever, Amen”, Romans 1:23,25. What will happen in the future is worse still, for it represents the worship of man as God. This is the ultimate blasphemy. One of the abominations that was shown to Ezekiel was the weeping for Tammuz in the very temple of God at Jerusalem, Ezekiel 8:14.
To receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads- after Cain had murdered his brother, God put a mark on Cain, “lest any finding him should kill him”, Genesis 4:15. He was a “marked man”. He was preserved from being murdered so that he could be a constant reminder of the consequences of rebelling against God. So Cain’s mark was given to him because there were those who wished to avenge the blood of Abel. At the time of the final “Cain”, antichrist himself, the mark will be on the majority of men because they sympathise with him, not seek to destroy him. By this they will also express their hatred of Christ, such will be the wickedness of the days of the Tribulation Period.
It is interesting to notice that although the Greek uses the preposition “epi”, meaning “over”, nevertheless the translators were guided of God to use the word “in”. Modern technology enables a man to have a microchip in his hand, so that he has only to swipe his hand over a sensor, and money is transferred from his bank account to pay for his purchases. We can easily see how this prepares the way for the scenario described here.
The word for mark means “a scratch or etching”, or a sculptured figure as in a graven image. It is the word Paul used when he referred to the idols in Athens as “graven with art or man’s device”, Acts 17:29. It is interesting to notice that a microchip is etched, so this is possibly in view here. But combining this with the idea of a graven image, may this mark not be a miniature image of the antichrist himself, the mark of allegiance to him?

13:17 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.

And that no man might buy or sell- when men “shake hands on a deal”, they will have to have the mark in their hands to do so. It may be that the chip is connected to a central Antichrist-controlled computer, which will only allow those with the mark to do business. And it may be that the chips of the two persons must interact before the transaction is allowed.
Save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name- so there are three options, a mark, a name, or a number. But they all signify allegiance to the beast, submission to his will, and worship of himself, and through him Satan himself.
We can see why the Lord Jesus included “Give us this day our daily bread” in the prayer He taught His disciples. Those who keep on in faith during the Tribulation Period, and especially during the second half, will be dependant on others who in some way will be able to supply their need. These will be the “sheep” at the judgement of the living nations, Matthew 25:31-40, who are credited with ministering to the king by ministering to His brethren. By so doing they will show that they were believers who had not received the mark of the beast, yet who still had supplies of food, perhaps because they had grown it themselves.

13:18 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.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast- in the prophecy of Daniel we learn of those who are wise, and who understand the significance of the events that will be taking place at the end time. Daniel wrote, “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days”, Daniel 11:33. These are the Maskilim, the understanding ones, and they will be greatly encouraged by the thirteen Maschil psalms, which are, Psalms 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. A reading of these psalms in the light of the circumstances which will prevail in the Tribulation, will be instructive to those who are passing through those difficult times.
For it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six- as to the name of the beast, that can be learned from his number. Ancient languages attached a value to each letter of their alphabet. If the beast is Nimrod returned from the dead, then his name in heathen mythology was Saturn. The value of the letters of that name, excluding the vowels, is 666.

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