Revelation Chapter 9 Verses 1-2

1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.

With the fifth trumpet, we see the first of the three woes proclaimed by the eagle in 8:13. The previous trumpets included terrors from nature, but we now begin to see terrors from beyond nature. This is also the first trumpet that directly affects man. The first four affected man only indirectly through his environment.

The star fallen from heaven is spoken of as “he” who has been given a key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; that is, he has been given authority over the pit. He opens the shaft of the bottomless pit and causes darkness to cover the sun. This fallen star most likely represents Satan. In Luke 10:18, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Lenski dissents from this view, arguing instead that the star is simply the personification of the judgment that is coming from God. In my opinion, however, this fallen star is Satan.

The bottomless pit or the abyss is where the demons and the ungodly are consigned. We see a similar image in Isaiah 24:21-22 —

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

We are also reminded of Luke 8:30-31 —

Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

We know that Satan has been judged and cast out. (John 12:31, 16:11) And yet, Satan is called the ruler of this world. (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11) He is called the prince of the power of the air. (Ephesians 2:2) And we are told that Satan has the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14) Where did Satan get this power?

Just as God used Babylon to judge Judah, Assyria to judge Israel, Babylon to judge Assyria, Cyrus to judge Babylon, and Rome to judge Jerusalem, God is using Satan here in his judgment of Rome. Satan is a defeated enemy! Satan is doing what God commands! If Satan has any power, it is power granted him by God. Satan is on a leash!

Look at verse 1. It says that Satan “was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit.” Satan was permitted to open that pit, but he could not have done so absent that permission from God. Satan does not even have the key to his own house unless God gives it to him!

A dark cloud of smoke is seen rising from the pit to darken the sky. This image reminds us of 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 —

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.

Satan blinds people’s minds to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. The smoke from the pit most likely depicts the spiritual and moral blindness that Satan causes. Note that this is a punishment from God. Moral and spiritual blindness is a disease that destroys the heart of a person or a nation. The Bible often depicts such a condition as a punishment from God:

Romans 1:24–28 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

What we see here is a vivid picture of moral and spiritual decay. Does this fit with what happened to Rome? According to Gibbon one of the four primary reasons behind the eventual collapse of the Roman empire was inner decadence.

Francis Schaeffer wrote the following in this regard:

As the Empire ground down, the decadent Romans were given to a thirst for violence and a gratification of the senses... . ... Apathy was the chief mark of the late Empire... . As the Roman economy slumped lower and lower, burdened with an aggravated inflation and a costly government, authoritarianism increased to counter the apathy. Since work was no longer done voluntarily, it was brought increasingly under the authority of the state, and freedoms were lost. For example, laws were passed binding small farmers to their land. So, because of the general apathy and its results, and because of oppressive control, few thought the old civilization worth saving. Rome did not fall because of external forces such as the invasion by the barbarians. Rome had no sufficient inward base; the barbarians only completed the breakdown—and Rome gradually became a ruin.

The lowering of moral standards contributed directly to the decline and fall of the Roman empire. Schaeffer says that Rome fell because it did not have a sufficient inner base. Daniel told us the same thing 600 years earlier in Daniel 2:41-42 when he described the inner weakness of the yet future Roman empire —

And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

Also, recall Proverbs 14:34 — “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” What does this all say to us today? Is the moral base of our country growing stronger or is it weakening? Are we being exalted by righteousness? Or are we suffering under the reproach of sin? As we study the judgment of Rome, we should pause to notice the growing similarities between Rome and our own country, from the sexual promiscuity to the glorification of violence and greed. Rome began as an instrument for God to use in the proclamation of the gospel, as did our own country. We had a similar beginning in the plan of God. Will we face a similar end? Perhaps our study of warning trumpets is more relevant than we would care to think.

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verse 13

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice, as it flew in midheaven, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!”

Where the KJV has “angel,” most translations have “eagle,” which appears to have better textual support. The expression “mid-heaven” means the zenith of the sky, that part where the sun is at midday. As Barclay says, “here we have a dramatic and eerie picture of an empty sky and a solitary eagle winging its way across its zenith, forewarning of the doom to come.” Phillips says that “a solitary eagle flying in midheaven, crying out in pity for the inhabitants of the earth, is out of its context bizarre but set as it is it is almost unbearably poignant.”

But the Greek word translated “eagle” can also mean “vulture.” For example, the same Greek word is found in Matthew 24:28, where in the KJV we read, “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together,” and in the ESV we read, “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” Why do most translations use “eagle” here but use “vulture” in Matthew 24 for the same Greek word? Because it is not the same Greek word — one is singular and the other is plural. Eagles typically fly alone, while vultures typically do not. One rarely hears of a lone vulture, but if that was what was intended here then the image moves from being eerie to being incredibly eerie!

This imagery of trumpets and eagles may be pointing back to Hosea 8:1 — “Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.”

The seven seals we saw earlier contained warnings. The seven trumpets likewise contain warnings. Why? So no one can ever say to God, “I didn’t know.” And that is a message for us as well. We also have been given many warnings about the judgment to come. With so many people in this world starving for the word of God, I shudder to think what is in store for those who sit in worship assemblies of the Lord’s church week after week and yet refuse to obey the gospel. How many warnings have they failed to heed?

Recall our earlier discussion about “those who dwell upon the earth.” That phrase is used in this book to depict the ungodly. It is used in contrast to the saints who are pictured as “dwelling in heaven.” When used in this manner, heaven and earth depict states rather than locations. We are reminded of Colossians 3:1-2 —

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

In a sense, God’s people “dwell in heaven” even while still on the earth! Our minds and hearts are set on things above. Some day we will dwell there literally. For now, we dwell there spiritually.

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verse 12

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

The fourth trumpet, as did the sixth seal, affects the sun, the moon, and the stars. As we have already discussed, such language is often used to depict impending judgments. In Isaiah 34:4-5 it is used to describe a judgment against Edom. In Isaiah 13:10, 13 it is used to describe the fall of Babylon. In Joel 2:10 it is used to describe a judgment against Judah.

What is the source of this imagery? The heavenly bodies testify to the greatness and power of God and to the comparative insignificance of man.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 148:3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Why then are they darkened? Because these symbols of joy are ashamed at the wickedness of men, and they refuse to shine their light on those who are rebelling against God. Their darkening is a symbolic picture of the total darkness that engulfs any society that turns its back on God and casts the word of God behind its back. And history tells us that before total darkness descends, there will always be the sound of warning trumpets. Can you hear them today?

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verses 10-11

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the water, because it was made bitter.

With the third trumpet, a great star falls and strikes the drinking water. Again, we are reminded of the Egyptian plagues and the water of the Nile becoming blood.

A star is often used in the Bible to indicate a divine visitation. The greatest visitation in Matthew 2:2 was accompanied by a “star in the east.” In Matthew 24:29, God’s coming in judgment against Jerusalem was described with the phrase “the stars will fall from heaven.” We have also seen this image before in Revelation. The sixth seal in 6:13 was described as stars falling to earth. A falling star often depicts the judgment of God upon the earth.

But falling stars don’t just remind us of divine visitations and divine judgments. They also remind us of Satan, about whom Jesus said in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” We are also reminded of Isaiah 14:12 — “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

We will soon see that although Satan plays a role in these events, he plays a role that has been scripted by God. Satan is a defeated enemy, and God will use Satan in the judgments against Rome. Also, we should recall that Satan’s fall appears to have been due to his pride, and Rome was also guilty of great arrogance and pride.

Why is the star named Wormwood? Better yet, what is wormwood? Wormwood is a plant whose juice is very bitter. It was offered to the false prophets in Jeremiah 23:15 —

Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and give them poisoned water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.”

Barclay tells us that “wormwood always stood for the bitterness of the judgment of God on the disobedient.” Hailey: “When men prefer the bitter waters of idolatry to the fountains of the living water, they will receive these bitter waters with the fatal consequences that follow.”

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verses 8-9

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea; 9 and a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

With the second trumpet, we see a great burning mountain thrown into the sea. Once again, this trumpet affects only a third of what it touches. We have not yet reached the bowls of God’s wrath.

God’s power is often described with images involving mountains:

Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.

Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Micah 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

Mountains are also sometimes used to depict kingdoms. Jeremiah 51, for example, describes Babylon as a destroying mountain that will become a burnt mountain, and Isaiah 2 describes the Lord’s kingdom as the highest of the mountains.

Jeremiah 51:25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

Isaiah 2:2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains.

The mountain in verse 8 also represents a kingdom, but rather than Babylon, this mountain represents Rome. As with the mountain in Jeremiah 51, this one also becomes a burnt mountain, but this mountain is cast into the sea.

Where else do we find a mountain being thrown into the sea? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 21:21– “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”

We often speak of faith that is able to move mountains. The early Christians had that faith! They prayed to God that the mountain of Rome would be cast into the sea, and it was. One of the recurring themes in this book is the power of prayer, and perhaps nowhere is that power better illustrated than here in verse 8.

Verse 9 tells us what happened to the sea after that great burning mountain was cast into it. What does the sea represent? If the mountain is Rome, then the sea likely denotes the mass of humanity that made up Rome. Rome’s judgment would affect not only Rome, but would affect all who depended on Rome. It’s ultimate fall was followed by what we now call the dark ages.

Finally, we once again have an interesting historical comparison with Rome. (Recall our earlier comments about the uses of such historical comparisons.) Some commentators see a similarity between the flaming mountain cast into the sea and the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August of A.D. 79, which was shortly after Revelation was written.

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verse 7

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth; and a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Trumpets are used in the Bible to depict an intervention by God into the affairs of men. The events on Mount Sinai were accompanied by a very loud trumpet blast. (Exodus 19:16, 19) Trumpets also sound in Isaiah 27:13, Joel 2:1, Zephaniah 1:16, and Zechariah 9:14. The intervention by God against Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was described in Matthew 24:31 as being accompanied by the great sound of a trumpet.

The final great intervention by God into the affairs of men at the end of all time will also involve a trumpet. Recall 1 Corinthians 15:52 —

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

And see, also, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 —

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Likewise, the trumpet in verse 7 also heralds the coming of God onto the stage of mankind, but here the target is Rome.

Trumpets serve three primary purposes: Trumpets sound a warning alarm; Trumpets play a fanfare to announce the arrival of royalty; Trumpets summon people to battle. Each of those purposes is likely involved with the use of trumpets here, but the main purpose appears to be for sounding a warning alarm.

The hail and fire remind us of the plagues against Egypt, which are the origin of many of the symbols used in these verses. In Exodus 9:24 we read: “So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.”

Why are only a third affected? As we discussed before, these trumpets are intended to warn. This trumpet is not a bowl. Bowls, as we will see, pour out God’s final judgments against Rome. As with the earlier seals, these trumpets depict partial judgments that warn of the impending doom to come.

Why a third and not a half or a fourth? There may be no particular reason why a third was chosen over some other fraction. It may simply be that a third represents a large portion but a portion that is still less than half. We may also be seeing thirds because we have three waves of sevens — seals, trumpets, and bowls — each of which takes away a third until nothing is left.

It is also possible that the use of a third here comes from its use in Zechariah 13:8–9 —

In the whole land, says the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Also compare Ezekiel 5:12 —

A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

As with the seals, we should not try to attach a specific chronology to the trumpets. They are part of the overall picture. We have already discussed how Revelation is in some ways like a painting from God. You do not look at a painting as you would a timeline. A painting is spatial rather than temporal. Remember that we have already seen the saints emerge victorious from the events that are now being described.

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verses 3-6

8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; 4 and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them.

As we saw with an earlier altar, the altar in these verses again is likely intended to depict a combination of altars from the Old Testament.

The altar in verse 3 looks like the golden altar of incense that stood before the curtain leading to the holy of holies in the temple. In a sense that altar also stood before the throne of God since God was often pictured as sitting enthroned upon the cherubim that were on the ark in the holy of holies. (See Exodus 25:17–22.)

The altar in verse 5 looks like the brazen altar of burnt offering from which the coals were taken for the incense offering. The judges of Israel marched from this altar in Ezekiel 9:1–2.

Incense is often used to represent prayers, and we have already seen that same image earlier in this book. (See 5:8.) We are again reminded of Psalm 141:2 — “Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee.” But here we see incense that is mingled with prayers. What does that mean? One commentary suggests the incense in this context denotes the intercession of Christ on our behalf as we pray to God in his name. Recall Romans 8:34 — “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Also, here we see the prayers of all the saints, as opposed to the prayers of the martyrs that we saw earlier.

These verses reveal the heavenly response to the prayers of these suffering Christians coming up from the earth to God. We are reminded of the concluding comments to Jesus’ parable about prayer in Luke 18:7-8 — “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” Everywhere we turn we are reminded of our timeframe!

Why does the angel throw the contents of the censer on the earth? It is the heavenly response to the prayers of all the saints. Their prayers will be answered, and judgment is coming for the enemies of God who dwell on the earth. We see a similar image in Ezekiel 10:2, where it precedes an approaching judgment by God against Jerusalem —

And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

Here we have the same picture: God’s people are safe in heaven. God’s enemies are on the earth. The judgment on earth is about to begin. And, as before, thunder, lightning, and earthquakes are used to depict the impending judgment of God.

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Revelation Chapter 8 Verses 1-2

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

After much anticipation, we finally reach the opening of the seventh seal. The removal of this final seal reveals seven trumpets that warn of impending judgment. But, as we saw with the first six seals, these trumpets are not yet final judgments. They strike fractions rather than the whole of their targets.   

The trumpets serve the same purpose that the plagues did against Egypt. The ungodly may yet be able to heed the trumpets’ warnings and repent. But Rome will almost certainly not repent. Instead, Rome will harden its heart against God just as Pharaoh did.

Verse 1 tells us that when this final seal is opened there is silence in Heaven for one half hour. This period of silence dramatically heightens the anticipation of what is about to happen. The time for talking is over; the time for judgment has begun. The scene reminds us of Habakkuk 2:20 — “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Our modern world hates silence. We do everything we can to fill the silence with blaring TV’s, blasting iPods, or unending chatter. Modern man hates silence because with silence comes reflection, and that is something modern man cannot tolerate. Remember what C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape told the demon Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters — “Your business is to fix [man’s] attention on the stream [of immediate sense experiences]. Teach him to call it ‘real life’ and don’t let him ask what he means by ‘real.’ ... Keep everything hazy in his mind now, and you will have all eternity wherein to amuse yourself by producing in him the peculiar kind of clarity which Hell affords.” Satan loves a noisy, confusing world!

Why half an hour? An “hour” is often used to indicate a time of critical importance or activity.

John 12:23 The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.

John 12:27 And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.

I John 2:18 It is the last hour.

Many thus surmise that a half hour indicates a delay just before a period of critical importance. The crisis is near but has not yet come.

Finally, in verse 2, we meet seven angels with seven trumpets. Each of these trumpets will soon sound, just as each of the seven seals we saw earlier was uncovered, and just as each of the seven bowls we will see later will be poured out. This book comes in waves of seven!

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Revelation Chapter 7 Verses 13-17

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In verse 13, one of the elders asks, “Who are these?” He then tells us that they are survivors of and victors of the great tribulation. They have come out of it. And how do they feel? Are they depressed and in despair? No, they are rejoicing!

What is the great tribulation in verse 14? Let’s first determine what it is not. There are some misconceptions about the great tribulation.

First, it is a misconception to believe that there is only one great tribulation in the Bible. God’s enemies always undergo a great tribulation at one time or another, and the Bible is filled with enemies of God. Accordingly, the Bible is also filled with great tribulations experienced by the enemies of God’s people.

The Old Testament tells us about many great tribulations against the enemies of God’s people. Here is a list of some of the foreign nations and cities that are judged by God in the Old Testament: Sodom, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Media, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Damascus, Ethiopia, Phoenicia, and Arabia.

Jerusalem underwent a great tribulation in A.D. 70 when it was judged by God using the hands of the Romans. That great tribulation was prophesied in Matthew 24:21 —

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

That great tribulation was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem, as Matthew 24:34 makes clear.

Some people read Matthew 24:21 and conclude that it must be speaking about the end of the world. After all, it says that there has never been and will never be another tribulation like that one. First, we know from verse 34 that the events in verse 21 happened in the first century. (Remember one of interpretive principles — we should use easy to understand verses to help us understand the difficult verses.) Second, the language in Matthew 24 is apocalyptic, and thus we should expect vivid, frightening images, which is what we find in verse 21. Third, we have seen similar hyperbolic language from the Old Testament, where it was also not describing the end of the world.

Another great tribulation will happen on the last day, when the ungodly are judged and the world is destroyed. Recall Romans 2:5-10 —

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

If we are correct that the villain in this book is Rome rather than Jerusalem, then this judgment against Rome must be yet another great tribulation. And, if you started reading the Bible in Genesis and read all the way to Revelation, wouldn’t you expect there to be a great tribulation in Rome’s future? Hasn’t that always been God’s way of dealing with the enemies of his people?

Chapter 6 told us that a great tribulation was coming for Rome. Recall Revelation 6:12–17 —

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14 the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?”

The saints were sealed earlier in Chapter 7 in anticipation of this great tribulation or this great day of wrath. Thus, Chapter 7 has already told us they were about to go through it, and now we see them after they have come out of it!

Here is the image that God is painting: Rome is persecuting the church. The church cries out for vindication. God says that Rome will experience his wrath. The church is sealed by God before the tribulation. After the tribulation, the church is pictured rejoicing in heaven.

Does the past tense in verse 14 mean that the judgment had already happened by the time the book was written? No. What it means is that the outcome of God’s battle with Rome is never in doubt. The outcome is so certain that God can speak of it in past tense before it even happens.

Was the church literally in heaven at this time? No, but as we have previously discussed, God depicts them in this book as already being there. By contrast, the phrase “those that dwell upon the earth” always refers to the ungodly in this book.

Who are “those before the throne” in verse 15? Those before the throne are the 144,000 (all of God’s people) looked at from a different perspective. These are the people who were marked.

Many things in Revelation are symbolized by different symbols at different points in the book. Jesus is seen as a Lamb and as a rider on a white horse. Rome is seen as a beast from the earth, as a beast from the sea, and as a harlot. It all depends on the throne’s perspective. Remember that dissimilarity of speech does not imply distinctness of subjects. Different images can be used to depict the same object.

But how do we know that these two groups are the same? The 144,000 were sealed to preserve them through the great tribulation, and this group consists of those who came out of the great tribulation. Both groups are before the throne (7:15 and 14:3). Both groups are led by the Lamb and redeemed from the earth (7:17 and 14:3).

We have already determined that 144,000 depicts the church. Is there any evidence that the group pictured here also depicts the church? As always, let’s begin by looking at the evidence. Here is what we are told about his group: “They before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

After reading that description, I think we would all agree that this group can be none other than the church. Who else can stand before the throne of God? Who else serves God as priests? Who else does God shelter? Who else has the Lamb in their midst? Who else receives springs of living water (as we also saw earlier in John 7:37-38).

The real question for us is not who is this group, but rather is when is this group. Is this the church at the time of Rome, or is this the church after the end of all time?

We see some symbols here that we very commonly apply to our future home in heaven — no hunger, no thirst, no tears. And yet, once again we have symbols that are used elsewhere in the Bible to refer, not to the end of the world, but to the state of God’s people under his care and protection.

Think about Psalm 23, for example. We generally do not think of that Psalm as something reserved for only the future, and yet what do we find there? “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” No hunger? No thirst? The picture is that of a well cared for and well guided flock. Recall Psalm 121:5–6 —

The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.

In short, although these blessings will be enjoyed in the future, they can also be enjoyed here and now! We are a flock with Jesus as our shepherd! “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

The promise of no hunger and no thirst is a promise to those saved by Jesus Christ. Recall Isaiah 49:8–10 —

Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, ‘Come forth,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.”

When was that promise fulfilled? Paul tells us in Second Corinthians 6:1–2 —

Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Paul tells us that the prophecy from Isaiah 49 pointed to the salvation that came through Jesus. That is a promise for the here and the now!

Did Jesus’ followers in the first century literally cease to feel hunger and thirst. No, but they did experience an end to spiritual hunger and thirst. Recall John 7:37 —

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.”

We see similar symbols used elsewhere to describe God’s victorious people. Israel, which was being persecuted by Assyria at the time, was told in Isaiah 25 and Isaiah 30 that a time would come when they would weep no more.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 30:19 Yea, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.

The church here is told the same thing while they are being persecuted, not by Assyria, but by Rome. What does this language mean in the Old Testament? It meant that God would deliver them. What does it mean in the New Testament? It means the same thing!

What is the message to the church in a nutshell? Rome is going to be judged, but good things are going to happen to you! You are going to be victorious! Rome will weep, but you will not. Rome will be burned by fire, but you will not. Rome will face hunger and thirst, but not you. Jesus loves and cares for his church!

Was this a physical deliverance? No. All those who profess the name of Christ will face persecution, and that was especially true for these Christians. Our deliverance is a spiritual deliverance. We must see things as God sees them, and his view is from all eternity. By his view, our lives on this earth are just vapors that appear for a short while and then vanish away.

The church overcame mighty Rome? How? By following the example of Christ who overcame the world through his perfect sacrifice. Listen as John tells us in 12:10 how the church overcame Rome: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” We are not looking at a physical deliverance here — but we are looking at a deliverance.

But does this group depict the entire church, or does it just depict those Christians who have already been killed by Rome? I believe we are seeing all the church, as emphasized by the symbolic meaning of 144,000. No one is left out.

In this book, God’s people are pictured as being in Heaven even while they still live on earth. In fact, the phrase “those that dwell on the earth” is used in Revelation to depict the ungodly. John paints a beautiful picture here. God has taken his church out of harm’s way. He has marked them so that they will not face the judgment against Rome. These Christians are those have come out of the great tribulation without compromising with the world.

So far we have seen Jesus’ power and worthiness to judge, we have heard a demand for judgment from the martyrs, we have had a taste of the terror of an approaching judgment, and we have seen that God’s people will be exempt from this judgment.

The next scenes will be ones of tremendous action, but Chapter 8 begins with a short period of awed and breathless silence and anticipation.

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Revelation Chapter 7 Verses 9-12

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.”

These verses are modeled after the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles or Booths. We read about that feast in Leviticus 23:39–43 —

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

In John 7:37 this feast is simply referred to as “The Feast.” The Rabbis said that “he who has not seen Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles does not know what rejoicing means.”

The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the exodus from Egypt when the Israelites dwelt in tents and tabernacles. The people would build booths or tabernacles with walls made of branches and thatched roofs and then dwell in them for seven days. The Feast of Tabernacles occurred four days after the Great Day of Atonement in which the national guilt was removed by innocent blood.

One of the most important rituals during the feast was the pouring of water in the temple. A specially appointed priest was sent to the Pool of Siloam with a golden pitcher to bring water from the pool. This water was then poured by the High Priest into a basin at the foot of the altar amidst the blasting of trumpets and the singing of the Hallel (Psalm 113–118). It reminds us of Isaiah 12:3 — “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

It was at the end of such a celebration that Jesus announced that he was the real source of living water. Recall John 7:37-38 —

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Jesus stood up and said that he was the answer to their prayers! His Messianic claim was so clear in making that statement that it caused a division among the people.

Revelation 7:9-12 is modeled after this feast. The group pictured here is also full of joy. The original feast looked forward to the Messiah. Here in Revelation we see the joy of those who are looking at the Messiah!

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Revelation Chapter 7 Verses 4-8

4 And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, 5 twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad, 6 twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand of the tribe of Manasseh, 7 twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar, 8 twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.

Are numbers use figuratively in this book? 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! 12000! What do you think?

Who are the 144,000 in verse 4? Don’t panic (and the exits are clearly marked!), but square roots and cube roots are needed here! The number 12 often denotes God’s people (12 patriarchs, 12 tribes, 12 apostles), and 12 times 12 is 144. 1000 takes 10, the number of completeness (10 fingers, 10 toes), and raises it to the power of 3, the number of divinity. Thus, many symbols are wrapped up in the number 144,000.

How many of God’s people were sealed? Before we answer that question, what would we expect the answer to be? What would the initial readers, seeking comfort, expect the answer to be?   

How much comfort would there be if we take 144,000 literally, as many do today? Can we really imagine God turning to the poor, persecuted Christian wearing the number 144,001 on his chest and saying “Sorry, but you are out of luck. You’re a day late, and a dollar short! Better luck next time ... if there were going to be a next time!” How ridiculous!

We would expect the answer to be that all of God’s people would be sealed. We would expect to hear that not one of God’s children would be left out. We would expect to hear that he was marking all of his possessions. And that is exactly what we are told here! The number 144,000 is a beautiful symbol for all of God’s people.

The number 144,000 = 12 × 12 × 10 × 10 × 10 is God’s way of emphasizing that all of his people are under his care and protection — which is just what we would expect him to say!

The 144,000 are mentioned again in 14:1–5, where they are described as virgins and said to be those redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb. Does this description from Chapter 14 help us here with the 144,000 in Chapter 7? Yes. In 2 Corinthians 11:2 Paul said he wanted to present the Corinthian church as a chaste virgin to Christ. James 1:18 says that we are “a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” The church is comprised of those who have been redeemed from mankind. The church is sealed with the name of God and the Lamb. (Recall Revelation 3:12.)   

The descriptions of the 144,000 in Chapter 7 and Chapter 14 confirm that the number 144,000 denotes the church.

But why are they called Israelites? Israel is an established name for God’s people. The name literally means “he who prevailed with God.” Could there be a better description for these Christians. As we discussed in Chapters 2 and 3, the church is the true Israel. The church is the new Jerusalem.

Although Jacob had 12 sons, only 11 sons received a tribal inheritance. The tribe of Levi received 48 cities that were scattered among the other tribes. The tribe of Joseph was split into two tribes named for his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus, when the tribes are listed in the Bible the list generally omits Levi and Joseph and includes Ephraim and Manasseh instead. But this is not the case here.   

In fact, the list is unusual in several respects. First, Judah rather than Reuben (the oldest son) heads the list. Why? Because Christ belonged to the tribe of Judah.

Second, Manasseh and Joseph are both included even though Manasseh was Joseph’s son. And Levi is included on the list, while Joseph’s other son, Ephraim, and Dan are not included.

Why was Dan left out? Dan was very early connected with idolatry —

Judges 18:30 And the Danites set up the graven image for themselves.

1 Kings 12:28-29 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.

Rome was full of idolatry and so was Dan. Hence Dan was not used in the description of the church. Dan was the classic example of a tribe that compromised with the world! The theme of the letters to the seven churches was a warning not to compromise with the world!

And why was Ephraim left out? For the same reason —

Hosea 4:17 E’phraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

Hosea 12:1 E’phraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a bargain with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.

Ephraim had forsaken God and was busy trying to make deals with the world. They made a covenant with Assyria, but at the same time were making deals with Egypt. Again, Ephraim was guilty of compromise!

Why are the tribes listed by name? The names are listed so that God can give us a lesson about compromise with the world by the omission of Dan and Ephraim.

Note here the careful use of symbolism in the omission of Dan and Ephraim because of their compromise with the world and in the inclusion of Manasseh and Joseph to keep the total number at 12. This book is truly a work of art! The painting itself is beautiful beyond compare, as are the individual brushstrokes.

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Revelation Chapter 7 Verses 1-3

7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.”

The number four is mentioned four times in these verses, and as we have seen, the number four often denotes the created world — the four elements, the four directions, the four seasons. In 5:12 when heaven praises Christ, it is with a seven-fold blessing. Later in 5:13, when the earth praises Christ, it is with a four-fold blessing. Thus, the focus here is on the created world.

What does it mean in verse 1 to hold back the four winds? A wind, being both powerful and invisible, is often used to denote the activity of God. By holding back the four winds they were holding back God’s judgments against his creation for a moment. Compare —

Isaiah 57:13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them away.

Jeremiah 18:17 Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.

Psalm 104:4 Who makest the winds thy messengers, fire and flame thy ministers.

Hebrews 1:7 Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.”

Psalm 18:10 He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.

This wind depicts a judgment that is about to come from God, and this judgment will come when the angels let loose the wind. How soon will it occur? Well, how long can the wind be held back? The image denotes something that will occur soon.

Another angel appears in verse 2 on an errand of mercy, and this angel comes from the rising of the sun. The sun is sometimes used to represent the goodness of God. Compare —

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

This is a book of revelation, and nothing reveals like the sun. Evil hides in darkness, whereas sunlight dispels darkness and dread. This angel arriving from the rising sun is bringing good news from God!

In verse 3, a call for delay is given until the righteous are marked or sealed. Compare Ezekiel 9:4–6 —

And the LORD said to him, “Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity; 6 slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.

We have already seen several key themes in this book — (1) We must see things as God sees them. (2) The power of prayer. (3) Victory in Jesus. Here we see a fourth: (4) God knows!

God knows those who remain faithful, and he is assuring them of that. Some of those suffering persecution were wondering if God had forgotten about them, and Revelation was written to reassure them that he had not. This interlude is intended to provide comfort and assurance to the church.

What is the seal in verses 2-3? Is it the Holy Spirit? Some say yes, and point to Ephesians 1:13 —

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

But I don’t think that seal is the one we see here in Revelation. These people were sealed because they were righteous and hence they already had the gift of the Holy Spirit that was promised in Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:32. They had already received the seal of Ephesians 1:13.

What then is the seal here in verses 2-3? This seal is simply God’s way of marking his possessions just like he did in Ezekiel 9. You put your name or your seal on something when that thing is yours and you want others to know that it is yours. God is marking his people to reassure them that he knows who they are and that they belong to him. Not one will be misplaced or stolen.

But note that this seal, as in Ezekiel 9, does not assure physical protection from persecution. God provides the deliverance that matters — spiritual deliverance. We must view things as God does, and God is concerned most of all about our spiritual welfare. He sent his Son, not for our physical deliverance, but for our spiritual deliverance.

And our focus must be the same. Remember Romans 8:5-6 — “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

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Introduction to Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is an interlude between the sixth seal and the seventh seal. This chapter is intended to provide comfort and to reinforce the message of this book, which is victory in Jesus! In doing so, Chapter 7 answers the question that appeared at the end of Chapter 6: Who can stand before the wrath of God? We will find that Chapter 7 is modeled after Ezekiel 9, which describes a judgment that was to come against Judah from Babylon.

We should pause here to note that in the Bible, as in life, the innocent often suffer with the guilty. And when the innocent suffer due to a punishment of the guilty, it does not mean that the innocent are likewise being punished. While it may look the same from a human perspective, it does not look the same at all from God’s perspective. For example, children suffered and died in the flood but those children were not being punished by the flood. Ezekiel 18:20 forbids the idea that God punishes one person for another person’s guilt, but it does not forbid the idea that one person suffers due to another person’s guilt, and in fact, that happens all the time.

Similarly, one may be exempt from a judgment yet still suffer during that judgment. Again, while it may look the same from a human perspective, it does not look the same from God’s perspective. In Ezekiel 9, God’s people are marked so that they would be untouched when judgment came, yet in Ezekiel 21:3–4 we see that the righteous died as well as the guilty when that judgment came. Their exemption was not a promise that they would be spared suffering but rather a promise that they would not be among the ones for whom that suffering was a judgment and a punishment.

There is a vast difference between suffering with the guilty and suffering because you are guilty even though admittedly at the time there may not appear to be much of a difference. But the difference is real, and the difference is clear from God’s perspective, which is the perspective revealed to us in this book.

Each time I read, study, and teach this book I discover new things. (Psalm 119:162 — “I rejoice at your word as one who finds great treasure.”) As I prepared these notes, I was struck by the parallels between Revelation and Job. In each, Satan plays a key role as an accuser of God’s people. In each, God’s people suffer at the hands of Satan, but that suffering is not punishment and is not permanent. In each, God allows that suffering to continue for a little time. In each, a key theme is the sovereignty of God. In each, a key theme is that things are not always what they seem. In each, there is a happy ending for the people of God.

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Revelation Chapter 6 Verses 12-17

6:12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14 the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?”

The removal of the sixth seal reveals the wrath of the Lamb and the judgment of the ungodly.

Does this seal describe the final judgment and the end of time? Most commentators say it does, but in studying Revelation I am always reminded of something Mark Twain once said — when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is probably time to change sides!

This language is language of judgment, and as language of judgment it could be used to describe many different judgments, including the great and final judgment yet to come. But what is the context here? What is the time frame of this book? Is there another judgment under consideration here?

Remember one of our key interpretive principles — similarity of language does not prove identity of subject. There are many judgments in the Bible, and many are described with the same symbols and the same images.

As one commentator reminds us:

We must take the trouble to learn as much as possible concerning the historical situation to which the book of Revelation belongs. It is only when this historical situation is reconstructed that Revelation comes alive and we are able to enter sympathetically into the mind and heart of the author and his readers. Perhaps no other book of the Bible has suffered more from being wrenched from its historical context than has Revelation.

The language used to describe the opening of the sixth seal is a mosaic of phrases used in the Old Testament to describe past judgments against Assyria, Egypt, Edom, and other enemies of God.

What about burning fire and brimstone? See Isaiah 34:9 regarding a judgment against Edom — “Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.”

What about the darkening of the sun and moon? See Joel 2:31, which Acts 2 tells us was fulfilled in the first century — “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” See also Amos 8:9, Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 50:3, Ezekiel 32:7, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24, and Luke 23:45.

What about the falling of the stars and the removing of the heavens? See Isaiah 34:4 — “All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.” See also Isaiah 13:13 and Psalm 102:25-26.

Also, recall Matthew 24:29, which we know from Matthew 24:34 describes something that happened in the first century (the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70) — “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

Let’s look more closely at Isaiah 13:4-22, which describes a judgment against Babylon carried out by God through the Medes —

Hark, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude! Hark, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle. They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth. Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every man’s heart will melt, and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in travail. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make men more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. ... And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomor’rah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or dwelt in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild beasts will lie down there, and its houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there satyrs will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.

That description of Babylon’s judgment looks familiar, doesn’t it? The same language is used here to describe the judgment of Rome, which was the Babylon of John’s day. Was the language in Isaiah 13 a literal description of events? No, we know it was not. Isaiah 13 says that no Arab will pitch his tent there ever again, and yet we know that quite a few Arabs have pitched their tent today in the location of ancient Babylon (which is modern day Iraq).

Does this passage from Revelation apply to the end of the world? Many would say, “well, yes, the context seems to imply it was going to happen soon. But this vivid language could only apply to the end of the world.” Tell that to Babylon! God applied the same language to its end, and yet the world continues on to this very day.

Our investigation of this language provides an important reminder — we cannot study Revelation apart from the Old Testament. No other book in the New Testament refers to the Old Testament more often than does the book of Revelation.

Barclay: “Strange as John’s pictures may seem to us, there is not a single detail which is not ... in the Old Testament ... We must not think that these pictures are to be taken literally. Their point is that John is taking every terrifying thing that can be imagined and piling them all together to give a picture of the terrors” to come.

What about the staggering of earth and mountains in verse 14? The manifestation of God at Mount Sinai caused a literal trembling of a mountain. This trembling then became a symbol for the manifestation of God’s holiness. When God comes in judgment, the earth shakes and the mountains tremble! Recall the original event in Exodus 19:18 —

And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

And then recall its many subsequent symbolic uses:

Haggai 2:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before him, the hills melt; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all that dwell therein.

Jeremiah 4:23-25 I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled.

Micah 1:4 And the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will be cleft, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.

Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

The mountains literally quaked at Sinai. Afterward, that literal quaking was used as an image to depict other divine visitations.

Symbols are often based on previous literal events. Their purpose is then to remind one of that earlier event. Israel, for example, depicts God’s people. The new Jerusalem depicts the church. Egypt depicts slavery and bondage. Babylon depicts Rome. The ten plagues depict God’s judgments.

But here the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, and the whole earth is affected. Why do we see such global terms used in reference to Rome? First, of course, the immediate answer is that to the people of this day, Rome was global! It ruled almost the entire known world! But, also, whenever the ungodly are dominant and oppressive, the world is said to be theirs. Isaiah 13:11 says, “I will punish the world for its evil.” And 2 Peter 2:5 tells us that God brought the flood upon “the world of the ungodly.” Thus, the picture is one of God dismantling and attacking his own created world, and it symbolizes God’s judgment upon the ungodly, who seemed to be in charge of that world. God is letting them know who is really in charge!

Generally we should try to see things from God’s point of view or the early church’s point of view, but here it helps to see things from Rome’s point of view. The picture here is one of a total and unexpected breakdown of order. Rome thought it had covered every base, but it had forgotten to include God in its plans. And men always find themselves in trouble when they forget to factor God into their equations!

Christians can look forward to the day of the Lord, but that is not the case for the ungodly. See Isaiah 13:6-8; Zephaniah 1:14; Joel 2:1; Micah 1:1-4; Malachi 3:1-3; Joel 2:11; Hosea 10:8; and Luke 23:30. Notice from verse 15 that this fear touches all levels of society from the least to the greatest.

Is this language of judgment literal? Literal darkness? Literal stars falling? Literal dismantling of the earth? In the Old Testament, God used the same language against the Babylonians. Was it literal then? No. The Babylonians are gone and yet the earth remains. We should not take it literally here either. God is judging Rome here just as he judged Babylon, Edom, Egypt, Assyria, Judah, and Israel in the Old Testament.

Just as symbols can be based on literal past events, they can also be based on literal future events. Some day the earth will literally be destroyed by fire and the heavens will literally be rolled up like a scroll —and God sometimes uses those literal future events associated with the final judgment as symbols to depict these earlier judgments.

The search for a hiding place in verse 16 is also seen in Isaiah 2. There is no place to hide from God. It is interesting to watch the ungodly try to hide in a book entitled Revelation! God reveals! The ungodly hide! Swete: “What sinners fear most is not death, but the revealed presence of God.”

The “Wrath of the Lamb” in verse 16 is one of the most remarkable and fearful expressions anywhere in the Bible. The word “wrath” is applied to Jesus only one time in the gospels —

Mark 3:5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

We all know what makes God happy. But it is just as important that we all know what makes God angry!   

C.S. Lewis — “In the end that face which is the delight or the terror of the universe must be turned upon each of us either with one expression or with the other, either conferring glory inexpressible or inflicting shame that can never be cured or disguised.”

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Are We Kings Or Are We A Kingdom?

(5) Are we kings or are we a kingdom?

Last week, we noted that Revelation 5:10 in the KJV says that “we shall reign” while the ASV says “we reign.” Both have good textual support in the Greek manuscripts and so we cannot tell for certain which was in the original. But, as we noted last week, they are both accurate descriptions. Christians reign in life with Christ, but with the judgment of Rome that reign would continue and be reaffirmed.

That same verse is the source of yet another textual disagreement. In the KJV, we read, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests,” while in the ESV, we read, “and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God.” Which is correct? Again, each has textual support and so we cannot say for certain which was in the original. However, as before, each is accurate. Recall that the 24 elders in Revelation 4:4 represent the church and are wearing crowns. God made us kings in the sense that we reign in life with Christ (Romans 5:17, Revelation 3:11, Ephesians 2:5-7), and God made us a kingdom by establishing his church, the eternal kingdom, in Acts 2. We are a kingdom of priests, and we are also a kingdom of kings — with Jesus as our High Priest and the King of all kings!

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How can Revelation be about the fall of Rome when Rome fell in AD 476?

(4) How can this book be about the fall of Rome when that event did not occur until AD 476?

I think we can all agree that if Rome had been sacked in 110 instead of 410 then no one would doubt that Rome is the villain in this book and that the judgments in the book are directed toward Rome. But with the actual end occurring when it did, we have reason to wonder how well such a fall really fits with the timeframe of Revelation. To answer that question, let’s first review what we mean by the “fall of Rome,” and then let’s look to the Old Testament for a comparison.

First, although a key event in Rome’s fall happened in A.D. 476, the fall of Rome was a gradual process that started much earlier. Here is a brief account of the process from The Fall of Rome: A Reference Guide by Alden M. Rollins:

By the fall of Rome I mean primarily the events of the fifth century when the military and political integrity of the Roman power was smashed in the western provinces and on the Mediterranean Sea, a disaster soon to be followed, though in a more subtle way, by a cultural and economic regression so profound that later generations called the centuries from about 600 to 1000 the Dark Ages. Mediterranean civilization had not been without its strains before, but the political disintegration of the fifth century, the monstrous plagues and earthquakes and wars of the sixth and subsequent centuries, and the economic and further political dislocations of the seventh and eighth centuries guaranteed the trend towards localization and deprivation. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse fared well in these times.

Symbolically the signal dates are 410 when the city of Rome itself was sacked by barbarian hordes for the first time since 390 B.C., and 476 when the last western emperor to reside at Rome was retired by a barbarian general who already held political and military supremacy in Italy, which was now completely detached from its ancient provincial territories in Gaul, Spain, Africa, and Britain, and was harassed from the sea by a Vandal fleet. Other events on both sides of the fifth century either inclined the empire towards, or guaranteed the results of, the disasters of the fifth century; and these come within the scope of the fall of Rome. Examples are the political instability of the third century, the Battle of Adrianople in 378 A.D., and the Gothic wars in sixth century Italy.

During and after the disasters in the west, the remaining eastern provinces, administered from Constantinople, were more fortunate in the short term; but between 500 and 750 these too were transformed by war, pestilence, earthquakes, famines, religious fanaticism, and economic and political upheavals from a plausible continuation of the Roman empire and Roman culture into a small, compact, narrow minded, Greek maritime state completely dominated by its last remaining city of Constantinople, whose population was reduced at one point to under 50,000 and where a formerly high and varied culture was reduced to religious platitudes.

Note that even a secular author sees parallels between what we are reading in Revelation and what happened to Rome. But, as we discussed before, we need to be careful before we match the famines and plagues in this book with specific famines and plagues from Rome’s history. These images were intended to frighten, and one reason they were so frightening is that they had happened to Rome before and would happen again.

As for the “fall of Rome” happening hundreds of years after Revelation was written, it may be that in Revelation we are seeing the judgment and then later in history we are seeing the sentence resulting from that judgment carried out. This was the case with Jerusalem, for example. Jesus judged them in Matthew 24. The sentence was carried out about 40 years later in A.D. 70.

Not every judgment happens like Sodom and Gomorrah. In that case, there were very few of God’s people inside the city, and so he went in, got them out, and then dropped a bomb. With the fall of Jerusalem, Jesus gave a warning so that the Christians could leave on their own when the time was right. Perhaps with Rome, God also delayed the sentence for the sake of the righteous. But, and this is the key point, that judgment was certain. In fact, that judgment had been written about by Daniel 600 years before Revelation was written and 1000 years before the events in the fifth century. (Some may object that the delay could not have been for the sake of the righteous because the righteous were being persecuted during the delay, and that’s a fair point. But continued persecution during the delay was also true with Babylon and Jerusalem. We need to see the situation from God’s eternal perspective. Also, we should note that the fierce persecutions under Nero and Domitian did result in a swift punishment for Nero and Domitian.)

Who was given the harsher penalty? Sodom and Gomorrah, which were taken out in a spectacular, but very quick, manner? Or Rome, which died a slow death of a 1000 cuts? Perhaps that is another reason the sentence was delayed — or should we perhaps say prolonged?

The city of Rome, for example, experienced a steep decline from its heights at the time this book was being written. Diocletian, for example, who ruled from 284 to 305, established four capital cities of the Roman empire — not one of which was Rome! In fact, as one author described it, he reduced the status of the Roman senate to that of a municipal council.

Also, we should keep in mind (as we will discuss at length later), the two central villains of the first century as far as Christians were concerned were Nero and Domitian. Revelation was written in between their two reigns, and each met his fate during that first century. Domitian, for example, was murdered by his own servants in A.D. 96, his body then being unceremoniously cremated. So much for “Our Lord and God Domitian”!

Rome’s judgment was certain and its punishment began soon after the book was written, just as the book said it would, but that punishment did not end soon after the book was written. Rome was not built in a day —and Rome did not end in a day!

Finally, we can yet again look to the Old Testament for a similar judgment and a similar punishment. Isaiah 13-14 contains a prophecy about the destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. The imagery and language used suggest a destruction that would happen swiftly and dramatically, and yet, as Wayne Jackson tells us in his commentary on Isaiah, “the fulfillment of this remarkable prophecy was progressive.” He writes:

After Cyrus invaded Babylon (539 B.C.), he substantially left the city standing, making it one of his capital centers for awhile. Eventually, though, the city revolted against its captor; hence, in about 516 B.C., Darius, the Persian king, invaded the city and dismantled the walls. In 482 B.C., the Babylonian settlement again revolted, which rebellion was put down by Xerxes with much damage being visited upon the city. Alexander the Great sought to restore the place to its former glory. He employed 10,000 men for two months clearing away rubbish in preparation for construction, but he abandoned the project shortly thereafter. In 20 B.C., Strabo, the Greek geographer, described Babylon as a “vast desolation.”... The famous archaeologist Henry Layard, who excavated the area between 1845-51, described it as a “naked and hideous waste.”

Hailey’s commentary on Isaiah addresses the same point with regard to Isaiah’s comparison of Babylon’s fall with that of Sodom and Gomorrah:

One might infer from this that the destruction would be immediate, but this was not the case. Delitzsch says that Cyrus left the city still standing with its double ring of walls. “Darius Hystaspis, who had to conquer Babylon a second time in 518 B.C., had the walls entirely destroyed, with the exception of fifty cubits. Xerxes gave the last thrust to the glory of the temple of Belus. ... At the time of Strabo (born 60 B.C.) Babylon was a perfect desert.”

And how is this judgment described by Isaiah? Read Isaiah 13:21-22 — “But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.”

Isaiah 13 was written after the death of King Ahaz in 715 B.C., which places it comparatively late in the prophet’s ministry. (See 14:28.) If we take 715 B.C. as the date of this prophecy, then it began to be fulfilled about 175 years later in 539 B.C., when Cyrus invaded the city. If we take the destruction by Xerxes in 482 as the death blow, then that blow came about 235 years after the prophecy was penned. Jumping ahead to Rome, the invasion of the city in 410 occurred about 340 years after the prophecy was penned. In short, not only are the prophecies similar, but the time tables are also similar. We will explore these similarities further as we work our way through this book.

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How do the images we have seen fit with the fall of Rome?

(3) How do the images we have seen fit with the fall of Rome?

This is a question we will have more to say about as we proceed through the book, but a few points can be made now.

The images we have seen were intended to frighten, and I think we can all agree they succeeded. Even today, the pale horse of pestilence is the stuff of nightmares. Are we then to look for an actual pestilence that came upon Rome? I think the answer is not necessarily. Instead, we should look for why that image was so frightening to Rome, and to do that we can look to the history of that time.   

The famines of Nero’s day preceded the writing of this book, while the famines of Domitian’s day followed it. The former was likely the source of the frightening image, while the latter reinforced it and reminded people of it. These historical events tell us why this symbol was so powerful and so vivid.

The first horse with the conquering rider is another a good example. I identified it with a Parthian warrior because of Rome’s fear of an invasion from the east. Did Parthia conquer Rome? No. Were the Romans scared to death of Parthian warriors? Yes. God is looking into their minds, pulling out the things that scare them the most, and telling them that and much more is on its way! Rome feared invasion from the east. Rome feared a loss of the Roman peace. Rome feared famine and disease. Why did they fear these things? Because they were actual threats— they had happened and would happen again. The church saw Rome as invincible, as did Rome itself. God is reminding both Rome and the church that Rome is not invincible!

But how and when did these judgments come to pass against Rome? As we will see and have already seen, Rome, and particularly the Roman emperors, suffered literal punishments in this life, but before we conclude that is all there is, let’s pause to ask a question: The reward of the martyrs under the altar, was it in heaven or on earth? It was a heavenly reward. The punishment of Rome — was it on earth or in Hell? I think that what we are seeing in these descriptions is a vivid portrait of what Paul told us in Hebrews 10:31 — “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” You take everything thing that scared Rome, and it was nothing compared to the eternal punishment that awaited. I think we are sometimes too quick to put the reward in Heaven while putting the punishment on earth. Remember that a theme in this book is that things are not always as they seem. This book invites us to view things through God’s eyes — and in God’s eyes there is not any earthly punishment that compares in any way to an eternity in Hell. Some of these events would happen on earth, but the real punishment would happen in the next life, just as would the real reward for those who remained faithful to death.

Think about some of the figures we have seen and are about to see — the sun blackened, the stars falling to earth, the sky rolled up like a scroll, every mountain and island moved out of its place, hail and fire with blood, the sea becoming blood, a great mountain cast into the sea, the stars darkened, horses with serpent tails, and unclean spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of a dragon. Figurative? Then what about the famine, the war, and the pestilence? Literal? If so, why? Remember our general rule with apocalyptic language is to take images figuratively unless forced to do otherwise.

Our plan is not to try and match each of these images with some particular historical event that happened to Rome. Instead, these images are all describing the same judgment, just with different pictures and with an ever building intensity leading finally to the bowls of wrath. But these seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls are figurative.

We see similar language used in the Old Testament. God told the Babylonians in Isaiah 13 that he would leave their land in such a wasted condition that no Arab would ever pitch his tent there again. Is that literally what happened to them? No. Was that a frightening image intended to convey the horror of what God had in store for them? Absolutely. Hosea told Israel that it would go into Egyptian bondage again. Did that literally happen to them? No. Was that a frightening image from their past that God used to depict the judgments to come? Absolutely.

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Don’t those seals fit the fall of Jerusalem pretty well?

(2) Don’t those seals fit the fall of Jerusalem pretty well?

The answer is yes, this language of judgment does fit well with the fall of Jerusalem. Indeed, we find very similar language in Matthew 24, which describes the judgment against Jerusalem. But it also fits well with judgments throughout the Old Testament against Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and others. Similarity of language does not prove identity of subject.

In my opinion, the villain in this book is Rome and the judgments in this book are against Rome. Others have different opinions. Many take Jerusalem to be the villain in the book with the judgments being against Jerusalem, while others take Rome to be the villain but have the judgments being against both Jerusalem and against Rome. In my opinion, the best fit is to have Rome as the villain and have the judgments be against that same villain, Rome.

If we had more time, I would step through the arguments for and against the various theories as we came to each passage. But with the time we have, my plan is to tell you what I believe this book is about and then through citations to the Bible tell you why I believe that. But, as I’m sure you all know, there are many in the church who believe otherwise! All I can do is lay out my case from the Bible.

Do I think my view is the only possible view and that all other views are without merit? Absolutely not. In fact, if you compare the notes I wrote in 1993 (which are available on our website) with the notes you are reading now, you will see that I have changed my own views on some issues. There certainly are some views different from mine that are totally without merit (premillennialism, for example), but there are other views different from mine that do not ignore the timeframe (or at least do not totally ignore it) and that fit portions of the book quite well. But the view I am proposing in these notes, in my opinion, best explains the entire text and best makes sense of the book from a theological and a historical perspective.

One final comment on this point. In our introductory classes, we mentioned that some Old Testament had dual fulfillments — one immediate and another future. We know that because the New Testament reveals the secondary fulfillment. Absent being told, however, it is difficult to determine when a prophecy has a second, sometimes much later fulfillment. Our class is focused on the immediate fulfillment, but we could, if we had the time or the inclination, speculate as to a dual fulfillment that either occurred or is yet to occur.

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