August 14, 2021 – Food for the Soul

I am going to be explaining different parts of the Scriptures in the chapters of Revelation. This is to help us understand what the Scriptures are saying to us.

This is where Revelation takes place: The Apostle John, the last surviving apostle, wrote the last Gospel, the last epistle, and the last book in the New Testament. He was exiled to Patmos, a rocky island in the Mediterranean, during a time of persecution, and there he saw this vision. The date of writing was about A.D.96.

Revelation 1:20 Angels-These are literally angels, just as in John’s other seventy references to angels in this book. Much like the angel used to give the revelation to John (See Revelation 1:1), these angels communicate the message of God to these literal churches of the future. In the future, God is going to frequently use angels in a more visibly supernatural way. For example, Revelation 14:6 refers to an angel that will have the everlasting gospel. Children have angels (Matthew 18:10), God sent His angel to Peter (Acts 12:11)-why not to the churches?

Revelation 1:20 Candlesticks. Or lampstands.-In those times, people used oil lamps to light their homes. The lamps could be carried or set down. The lampstand was a pedestal about the height of a floor lamp, on which the lamp was placed to throw light over the whole room.

Revelation 3:10- The Hour of Temptation-The hour of temptation is the *Tribulation that is described in Revelation 6-19. This verse seems to promise that the *true church* will be taken out of the world before that time-to be with the Lord. Of course, most of the true church would not go through it, for they have already finished their earthly lives. This promise is to believers who are on the earth at the end of the *church age(See 1 Thessalonians 5:5-9).

Revelation 4:1 The Trumpet Call-This call seems to indicate the fulfilment of the *Rapture(1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; see also verse 13 note, “Hope for the Dead”). John, to whom the call came, represents believers who will be on earth when the Lord Jesus returns for His Church, which is not seen again as taking part in the events following the trumpet call until chapter 19, when the *Great Tribulation is all over. The removal of the church is the first of four supernatural warnings by which God will indicate that judgement is about to fall. The warnings will be given in the four corners of the earth so that everyone will have an adequate chance to repent of his sin and be saved. The time between the first supernatural warning and the second is three-and-one-half years. The time between the second and third is again three-and-one-half years. The fourth warning is probably a few weeks after the third, and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is shortly after the fourth (See 6:1 note, The Outline for Revelation 6-20″)

Revelation 5:1 The Sealed Book-This book, or literally, a scroll (they did not have books like ours in those days), so thoroughly sealed, like a legal paper, is the title deed to this earth. Go back to Genesis 1 and 3, and read how the right to rule the earth was given by God to man(Adam), who forfeited it to Satan. At the cross Jesus Christ, as the Son of Man, conquered Satan to get it back for man, but He has never actually taken “the deed” and will not until this time comes. Until then, Satan is the “prince of this world” (John 14:30).

Revelation 7:1 A Special Group Saved-After the warnings and testings of the first three-and-one-half years, John is looking ahead here and gives a picture of the great company of Jews and Gentiles who are to be saved during the *Great Tribulation. These people are not members of the *church , nor are they people who have a second chance to be saved. They are the people who will turn to God during the next age and have a special work to do in that age.

Revelation 13:1 A Beast from the Sea-Both the Old and New Testaments tell of a great superman who will one day gain control of the reformed Roman Empire of ten nations, and, showing his great power, demand actual worship as if he were God. This will be the Antichrist (1John 2:18 and its note, “The Antichrist), also called “that man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 10; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:3 note, “Before the Lord Comes”). Read about him in Daniel 7:7-8 (and Daniel 7:8 note, “The Meaning of a Little Horn”). Sometimes “the Beast” (the *Antichrist) refers to the man, sometimes his empire; he will so thoroughly control his empire that either will be true. He will have the support of the second “beast that will come out of the earth (Revelation 13:11; see Revelation 13:14 note, “The Beast from the Earth”), who will be the False Prophet. See Revelation 16:13 and note, “The Satanic Trinity”.

Revelation13:14 The Beast from the Earth-As the first Beast(vs. 1.); came out of “the sea, “which stands for the nations of the world, this Beast comes out of “the earth,” a symbol of Palestine. He will be a Jew and will plot evil with the other Beast, the Roman emperor who will be the Antichrist (see Revelation 13:13 and Revelation 13:1 note, “The Beast from the Sea”). This will be the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10), and the false prophet will work signs and wonders and will serve the Antichrist and cause people to worship the Antichrist. See Revelation 16:13 and its note, “The Satanic Trinity”.

Revelation 13:14 image.-This will probably be set up at Jerusalem. At the beginning of the coming *Tribulation, the Beast, the Antichrist, will signa treaty with the Jews, allowing them to worship once more in their temple undisturbed. At the end of three-and-one-half-years, the Beast will break the treaty and will cause his own image to be set up to be worshiped. That is the sign for Jews to flee from the city (see Daniel 9:27 and 9:24-27 note, *A Central Prophecy”; Matthew 24:15).

Revelation 13:18 The Number of the Beast-No doubt believers living at the time when the Beast rules will understand what “the number of the beast” is; but it is not necessary to know it ahead of time. It has been suggested, however, that because some languages use alphabet letters for figures, and so every word is a sum in arithmetic, that the name of the Beast will be such a sum, adding up to 666. Seven is God’s number, that of perfection; six is the number of man, less than perfect, Here is suggested the trinity of evil through man under Satan.

Revelation 16:13 The Satanic Trinity-Here the satanic trinity unite their power against God. Remember that Satan has always tried to imitate what God is and does, but his imitations are poor substitutes. Satan’s “trinity” is composed of the dragon, Satan himself; the Beast, who is the Antichrist and the head of the revived Roman Empire; and the False Prophet, who causes all to worship the Antichrist.

Revelation 17:3 A Scarlet-Coloured Beast-The false church, the religious power, is pictured here as seated upon the Beast, the political power. That means that the false religious power shall control the secular or political power for awhile. Verse 16 tells how the whole Roman Empire will finally throw off even the pretense at religion and adopt the worship of the Beast, the Antichrist. It is to be observed that the Beast and the woman go together. Since the union is the apostate ecclesiastical system that reaches into all Christendom; it is quite evident that the revived Roman Empire will include all Christendom, including North and South America.

Revelation 19:11 The Tribulation-The Tribulation is a period of approximately seven years, equivalent to Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Daniel 9), the time just before the return of the Lord Jesus in glory and power to reign over the earth (Revelation 19:11-16). During the first half of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will be revealed (Daniel 9:26-27) and he will make a covenant with Israel. The Great Tribulation is the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, three-and-a-half-years long, specifically called the Time of *Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7 and its note, “Future Trouble”), though it will involve the whole world (Revelation 3:10; see its note, “The Hour of Temptation”). The Tribulation is fully described in Revelation 6-19; see also Matthew 24-25.

Revelation 19:19 The Battle of Armageddon-This great battle of Armageddon is not just another battle between the nations of the earth. It is a united attack by nations of the earth against God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who at this time will be represented by the believing Jews. The attitude of the nation is described in Psalm 2. The battle is scarcely described at all here in Revelation, for the important thing is not the battle, but the triumph of Christ. The Old Testament prophets tell many details about the battle. Read Zechariah 14:1-5 and Joel 2:1-21.

Revelation 20:5-6 The First Resurrection-The phrase “the first resurrection” does not mean that this will be the first time anyone was ever raised from the dead! It means that this completes the “first resurrection. “The first resurrection includes all who rise from the dead before the *Millennium. The first to rise was Christ Himself, called the “first fruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20). (Lazarus, Jarius’ daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, Dorcas in Acts 9:39-41, and the one or two raised in Old Testament times were raised from the dead, but not in the same sense, for they died again.) The next to rise will be the dead in Christ at the *Rapture of the *church. The last to rise in the first resurrection will be those who have been saved during the Tribulation. Notice that no unbelievers are “the rest of the dead” in verse 5.

Revelation 20:12 The Dead-The dead are those who were not raised at the first resurrection (see vss.5-6 note), as well as those who have rebelled against Christ during the Millennium and have therefore been punished by death. No saved ones of any age will be judged at the Great White Throne, because those who believe “shall not come into condemnation [judgement]” (John 5:24). The Lord Jesus Christ has taken their judgement on the cross. This judgement has to do only with those who refused Him as their Saviour. They will be judged ” according to their works,” and will be condemned because their names are not written in the Book of Life.

Revelation 21:1 The New Earth-Peter tells us (2 Peter 3:4-13) that while God once cleansed the former earth by water (see Genesis 1:2), He will cleanse it once more, by fire. As there are some disease germs that cannot be killed except by fire, so it is with sin. But as the earth of Genesis 1:1 did not cease to exist in the future destruction by fire, but will simply be melted and remade, a new earth, where sin will never enter (Psalm 119:90; Ecclesiastes 1:4 and its note, “The Earth Endures”).

Revelation 22:16 The Bright Morning Star-The last word of God to Israel in the Old Testament was that the Lord would come to them one day as the “Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). His last word here is that He will soon come as the “bright and morning star”. The morning star rises just before the sun rises. We may look for Him to call His *church to Himself at any time, certainly before He comes to rule as the Son of David, Israel’s Messiah.

Revelation 22:19 Book of Life- There is surely room in the Book of Life for every soul ever born, but those who refuse to take the eternal life that God offers in HIs Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, will not find their names written there.

The book of Revelation is the beginning, but when we really take the time to read it we will start to understand what it all means. Had not John been there, we would never know about the things to come when Jesus returns. It is very important that we pay close attention to every word being told to us. We do not want to misunderstand any word of what is being explained to us. Jesus is giving us a very important message that we need to know. He is telling us that HE is coming quickly. He is telling us “blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:7.

We cannot take anything from it, and we cannot add anything to it, because if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Revelation 22:18.

Revelation 22:19- And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Jesus tells us in verse 20 written in red that “Surely I come quickly…”

When I first read Revelation it scared me. I was terrified. As I kept on reading it, I realized I had gotten over my fear. Revelation is everything that we need to know about the future and what is going to take place. I am so glad that Jesus came to John and had him to write everything he saw and heard. I thank God for His Word. We would be lost without it. How would we be able to live without the Word of God? Our sixty-six book love letter He wrote for us so we can get to know more about Him and His Son.

I know that the Bible is hard to understand all at once, but as we read it little by little we began to understand what God has to say to us. It may take us a life time to fully understand it all, but when Jesus returns we will completely understand everything. Until then we must keep on having faith and trusting God. We must keep on knowing that God loves us and cares about us.

Even though we are going through this terrible time, we must know that God is with us. We must not give up hope for a better tomorrow. If you have not talked to Jesus today, He is waiting to hear from you. No one has to be perfect to go to God. It does not matter what you have done, where you have been, or what you have been through, He is waiting with His arms wide open to receive you. To give you a better life in Him, to be free in Him, to spend all of eternity with Him. Whenever you decide to make that decision to live for Christ, it will be the best decision you will ever make in your life. Stay safe, and stay blessed. Thank you for following me on my journey with Food for the Soul.

This is a list of some of the articles I have posted. I do this to keep things in order so I do not forget what I have written, and so everyone can check out some of my articles. There is something for everyone to enjoy. Again, thank you all for following me on my journey with Food for the Soul. You can also listen to my podcast on Spotify. Stay blessed, and stay safe.