WOW!!

So, this “Overview” study has really turned into a much deeper study than I thought that we would do. We have covered a lot more detail than originally planned, but, that’s okay. I think those of you attending my Wednesday night class were excited about learning Revelation and were interested in the details. We have had so many good questions and so much good discussion! I have loved it and have enjoyed studying this amazing book together!

THANK YOU for being so faithful and hanging in there for these 7 weeks. (I guess we were meant to study the book of Revelation for 7 weeks since 7 is the “perfect” number!) So anyway, before we wrap this all up, let’s just review the whole thing. I would say “quickly” review, but there is just too much for it to be quick. Any hoo! Let’s just see if you can remember and can follow along with the main events that unfold during the 7 years of Tribulation. 

REVIEW OF THE END TIME EVENTS:
So, we have covered 3 different sets of Judgments: 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, 7 Bowls. 21 devastating Judgments in all. We see these judgments increase in severity and speed as they progress throughout the 7 years of Tribulation.

They range from deception, war, famine, disease, earthquakes, water turning to blood, hail, fire, darkness, targeting & killing multitudes and multitudes of Believers, both Jews & Gentiles. “Martyrs” cry out under the altar in Heaven for God to do something, to bring judgement on the wicked and to avenge their blood and the blood of all the innocent that has been shed since the time of Genesis.

We see the progression of Tribulation increase with the 3 “Woes” of the Trumpet Judgments, which bring unprecedented demonic activity upon the earth. The unbelievers are the ones who feel the brunt of these 3 “Woes”! They are tormented by demonic beings described as hideous looking evil locusts. They are described as having locust-type tails that sting, administering pain so severe that people want to die. . . but cannot. Limited authority is given to these evil creatures. They are not allowed to kill, but they are allowed to torment. And torment they do! Day and night for a length of 5 months.

Then, we see the frightening release of more demons. 4 demonic angels who are currently bound under the River Euphrates will come out of the Abyss. They are so evil that God has kept them under lock and key for this very specific day and this specific hour. Once released upon the earth, they will form an army of 200,000. They will each be strong & mighty like a horse, not only to race across the earth with great speed, but they will have tails as like a venomous snakes. They will seek whom they can strike with their deadly poison. We remember well the snake, the Ancient Serpent, from Genesis. No explanation needed for what “kind of spirit” that this is or who is behind this evil army. Their intensions are clear. They have a three-fold objective; Kill, steal and destroy. This unimaginably wicked army is led by the worst of the worst, straight from the very pit of hell. They will run rampant across the earth and they will kill 1/3 of all mankind. Satan and his demons, who are having more freedom than they have ever had in their existence, will inflict and spew all the hatred and evilness that has been bottled up inside. They will be like a torrent of floodwaters, bursting forth and erupting like in the days of Noah. Only this time, it will be a flood of fire, smoke and sulfur, ending in much pain and death.

Then as you come to the 6th Bowl, 3 Evil Spirits will come from the mouth of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. (Satan’s Unholy Trinity) They will gather all those who are left alive and remaining of the nations, of the kings and of the kingdoms of the earth. With hatred, pride and arrogance they will join forces together to come against Jesus Christ, who will return to the earth. They will all be as one. They will bring all the weapons and arsenal that they can compile. They will gather in the Valley of Jezreel for the Battle of Armageddon. Arrogantly and confidently, they try to make a name for themselves just as in the days of the Tower of Babel. Pure rebellion against God. But this time, by the joining of these strong, super powers, they will believe that this time they can wipe out the Name and exitance of Jesus. But they are dead wrong! They will come together, once and for all, to destroy Jesus Christ, Satan’s ultimate enemy, his adversary since the beginning, but it will not go well for them.

And so they gather. All the kings, all the kingdoms, all the armies, all the powers, all the principalities will come together with all the weapons of the world. They will be one strong force. One huge and strong army. All the nations against one. Millions of people armed to fight one man.

IT WILL NOT BE A FAIR FIGHT! 

Jesus against any number of people is not a fair fight! Only one word from the mouth of Jesus is all that will be necessary. Only one word will be spoken and it will be as a sharp sword which will slay all enemies and foes. In “one hour”, meaning within just a moment, the battle will be over, if indeed you want to call it a battle. The blood of the wicked and of the evil and of the rebellious and of the guilty…will flow for miles and miles down the valley. As high as up to the horse’s bridle. Blood will flow deep as a mighty river.

The prayers and the cries of the Martyrs will at last be answered! Their blood will be avenged! Judgment of the unrepentant and of the wicked will be rendered. The Wrath of God will be administered. The guilty will be punished.

Hell will open wide its mouth for the Antichrist along with the False Prophet to be thrown. Satan will be bound in chains for 1,000 years while Christ sets up his Kingdom and reigns on the earth.

AFTER, the 1,000 years is over, Satan will once again be release for a very short time. He will try unsuccessfully, once again, to come against Chris. But he will be quickly and suddenly destroyed. Satan is no match for Christ. He never has been. Christ will finally put an end to him. He will be thrown into Hell for his final eternal place with the Antichrist and the False Prophet. A place that God created just for him.

All sin and evil and death and pain and heartache and suffering will finally come to an end. Neither man nor Satan can stand against Jesus. The victory has already been won! Jesus will utter the words, “It is Done! It is FINISHED”! Satan will be no more! Sin will be no more! The curse will be no more. All things will be made new.
 

SO, now we come to the good part!! 

PRAISE BREAKS OUT IN HEAVEN!

So, all of Heaven shouts praises to God: “God is Just and Holy in all of his ways! Salvation & Glory & Power belong to God! True & Just are his Judgements! He has condemned the Harlot”. He has destroyed Babylon and everything that seduced people away from the Truth! He has avenged the blood of his servants and paid them back with blood! He has cast Satan into hell for all of eternity. The curse of sin is no more!!

These are things to shout about!!!

THE “HALLELUJAHS!” (Rev 17:18)

The word “HALLELUJAH” means “Praise Yahweh! This is the only time in the Bible that the word “Hallelujah” is found. And here in chapter 19 it is shouted four times! What a time to shout “Praise you Jesus! For you have done great things!  You have done EVERYTHING that you said you would do! This is definitely a time to SHOUT and PRAISE and sing HALLELUJAH! Praise you Jesus!

MORE THINGS TO PRAISE! (Rev 19-22)

I know that Revelation can be a hard and heavy book to study. But so often we focus on the Judgments and the terrible time. Yes, it a time of  horrifying and terrible events. It is called, “Jacob’s Trouble” and “The Great Tribulation” for a reason. It will be hard and it will be scary for those who are on the earth during this time. But, if we let ourselves, we can miss all the wonderful things that God is accomplishing. This is the last book of the Bible and it is the best part of the story. It’s when God finishes all things promised from the beginning. This is when he sets up his Kingdom on earth. This is our hope and our great future with Jesus on the throne. Endurance and patience is needed but it will all be worth it. Everything God does is for a reason and that reason is always good and always right. We can trust him in all things!

Just look at some of the many things to Praise God for in the last few chapters of Revelation. These are the things that we should keep our hearts and mind focused on. I’m sure you can add several more things to this list below.

• The Antichrist and the False Prophet are thrown into Hell (19:20)
• Satan is bound for 1,000 years (20:2)
• The Wedding Supper has come (19:7-9)
• The Millennial Reign is come (Rev 20:1-6)
• Satan will be thrown into Hell forever (Rev 20:10)
• Death and Hades will be thrown into Hell (Rev 20:11:14)
• A New Heaven and New Earth will come.  The old will pass away.

This end of the book is actually a BEAUTIFUL NEW BEGINNING – Eternity with Jesus! (19—22)

If you have trouble reading Revelation, start at the end like we did. Or if you need to, just read the end over and over again. One of my very favorite passages in the Bible is Revelation 19 when Jesus comes again. He is riding a white horse as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

To repeat the beautiful words of the Apostle John once more…
“Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people” Can, I get an “AMEN!”?

When we started this study, we wanted to look at the book of Revelation with different eyes, with a different perspective. We even started at the end of the book, chapters 19-22 to keep our focus on the one that the book is written about, Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God, the Redeemer, the Savior of the world. The one who is coming back again and will defeat Satan and sin and death once and for all.
So, let’s think back to that first lesson and the things that we talked about.

 
FINDING GOD IN THE MIDST OF THE TRIBULATION:

God has always been there in times of trouble and tribulation. He has always been there for us on this earth and he will be there for those who go through the Great Tribulation. We don’t always see him working, but sometimes it’s because we are not looking for him. But be assured that he is always working. During these last 7 years God is working and making himself known in so many ways.

Here are just a few ways that remind us of how God is working during this time.
• He shows that he is in complete control of the events
• He puts limits on the length & severity of the judgments
• He puts limits on Satan and what he is allowed to do
• He gives the extra visions or “Interludes” to help get us more insight or a better understanding  from a different viewpoint. He also uses some of the extra visions to remind us of the hope that we have in him 
• He scatters “Blessings” throughout the book
• He pulls back the curtain and fully exposes Satan’s evil nature
• He gives us a look of all the future events so that we would know what is to come. He didn’t have to tell us ahead of time, but yet he did. 
• He seals and protects 144,000 Jewish Evangelists so that they can spread the Gospel to the ends of the world
• He keeps the Wrath of the Trumpets and the Bowls from falling upon the Believers
• He protects the Jews who flee to the mountains
• He brings a great revival, multitudes will be saved during this time
• He beautifully describes a picture of himself coming on a White Horse to defeat all enemies, including Death & Hades
• He tells us of a New Heaven and a New Earth and a new city of Jerusalem
• He calls us his beautiful Bride and gives us fine, white linen to wear to the Wedding Supper
• He promises to wipe every tear from our eye
• He gives us a new Name that will be written on us

The list goes on and on!

FINDING GOD’S MERCIES:

Mercy in the book of Revelation? Really? Yes, really! Mercy is all over the pages of Revelation. Just look for it! You will find God’s “Justice” and God’s “Mercy” working hand in hand. Justice for those who refuse to repent. And he gives Mercy to those who put their trust and faith in him

God wants everyone to come to the saving knowledge and faith in him. He knows time is running out. His calendar for mankind on this earth is about to come to a close. He is doing everything possible to warn people. He is doing everything possible to make sure that everyone hears the Gospel. He is doing everything possible to give people an opportunity to be saved. God himself is even carrying out the Great Commission in varies ways and through unusual means. He allows man, the spirit world and the animal world… all creation to participate in sharing the Gospel. Just look at these unusual, attention-getting ways that God uses.

Unusual Gospel Messages and Warnings.

1. 144,000 Jews (Rev 7) –  Jewish Evangelists that travel the world preaching the Gospel
2. 2 Witnesses (Rev 10:1-10) – Two Prophets that preach in the city of Jerusalem
3. 3 Angels (Rev 14:6-12) – Three Proclamations by three Angels:
a. First Angel: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water“.
b. Second Angel: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries“.
c. Third Angel: “Do not worship the Beast or its image.” A warning that if they do they will face the wrath of God and will be tormented forever.
4. An Eagle (8:13) – Flying overhead with a warning.
“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”
5. Martyrs (Rev 12:11) – Testimony of their lives “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD of their TESTIMONY“

The Gospel will be spread to all the world during the last days. God is extending mercy by giving as much time as possible for man to repent, and providing methods unheard of before to get the message to them. That is a loving and merciful God! 

POSSIBLE OUTLINE OF EVENTS

Below is a possible outline of events in accordance with a Pre-Tribulation View (The Rapture of the Church happens before the Tribulation begins). Daniel chapter 9 tells us that the Tribulation, the last seven years, is appointed for his people, the Jews. So much of what happens during the Tribulation is to get their attention and turn them to Christ. Here are some of the events as it relates to the Jews. 

1st HALF EVENTS:  SEALS
1. Antichrist comes into world power
2. Antichrist deceives the world and the Jews
3. Antichrist signs a 7 year Peace Treaty between Israel & all her surrounding enemies
4. ISRAEL living in safety, but it will only temporary peace and safety
5. Israel builds a Temple on the Temple Mount
6. The Old Testament “sacrificial” system is set up (Offerings, sacrifices, Feasts)
7. Jews will flock to Jerusalem during this time

Israel is free from their enemies during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation because of the Peace Treaty. They feel safe: “People are saying, “Peace & safety,” (1 Thess. 5:3) but, “Destruction will come on them suddenly”
The Antichrist has a plan to bring them all together in one place to destroy them. So, the Peace Treaty is only a false peace that will be broken. He will then turn on them and go after them to kill them.

MID-POINT EVENTS:
• The Antichrist breaks the Peace Treaty
• He commits the “Abomination that causes Desolation” (Desecrates the Temple)
• Antichrist takes over the Temple and sets himself up as god to be worshipped
• Antichrist turns his attention toward destroying all the Jews & Christians
• Jews finally realized they have been deceived and mourn over their deception and their sins
• God protects the Jews in a place in the desert (Probably Petra) (Rev 12:6)

2nd HALF EVENTS: TRUMPETS & BOWLS
• Increased Judgments and Demonic activity – 3 Woes upon the unrepentant
• Bowl Judgements are poured with the full strength of God’s Wrath upon the unrepentant
• Battle of Armageddon occurs. Jesus defeats & destroys all the rebellious nations

All of Israel (as a nation) will finally recognize Jesus as the True Messiah. After 2,000 years of denying that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah of the World, the Redeemer, the Lamb of God, they will finally get it. They will understand that they missed it and they will mourn. They will finally accept Jesus as Messiah. He will be their God and they will be his people. Finally. The 7 years of Tribulation is the very thing, the only thing, that will turn the heart of the nation of Israel to Jesus Christ.  

We may not understand everything that God does, but everything that he does has a purpose for good!

THANK YOU again so much for being a part of this study. I hope that it has not been too overwhelming, but has been helpful in shedding a little light and bringing some additional insight to a book that is hard to understand. I hope that you have seen it with a different perspective. It is the story of Jesus. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. His purpose and his plan started before the beginning of time. A beautiful plan to save us from our sins so that he can dwell together with us. He has done everything necessary to provide salvation for us and to Redeem us from our sin, making us pure in his sight. He took all the punishment on the cross for our sins. We simply are to believe IN HIM and ON HIM for that salvation.

If you do not know him today, please ask him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior. That is exactly why he came! Just for you! To save you! To live forever with you. Eternity lasts much longer than these few short years on the earth. Don’t miss Heaven! Trust in him today! He loves you!

“Live FOR him today, so that you can live WITH him forever!” 

Many blessings! Cheryl