Revelation 15

A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
EDGEMONT BIBLE CHURCH
FALL 2009- SPRING 2010
MARCH 17, 2010
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET - Part 10
REVELATION CHAPTER 14:9-20-15:1-8
THE SEVENTH SEAL

“We (really) wrestle not against flesh and blood, but …”

IX. THE SEVENTH SEAL IS OPENED (Continued from previous week)
...L. The Seventh Trumpet sounds - The appearance of the seven angels with the
seven last plagues, their song, occurrences in the temple in heaven. The
vision has moved back from earth to heaven again. (Continued from
previous weeks)
...... a. Another great and marvelous sign - seven angels
.........1. They are seen to be having the seven last plagues in their
possession. We are not told how John knows this
information but we understand that information is known in
some manner in heaven that is beyond the way we know and
learn things here. 1 Cor 13:9-12; compare also the
Transfiguration - How did the disciples know it was Moses
and Elijah speaking to our Lord?
......... 2. They came out of the Temple of God in heaven. Actually it is
called the Temple of the tabernacle of the testimony. This is
a way of saying the tent (tabernacle) that had the holy place
where the work of the priest was done and the "Holy of
Holies" that contains the ark of the covenant, the testimony
of the covenant with God and Israel. They did not come out
of the courtyard but from the presence of God and where He
meets with man. See Numbers 9:15-10:13
......... 3. They are dressed in white linen with golden bands around their
chests
......... 4. The seven plagues are carried by angels out of the Temple and
are therefore being given by God. Why are such horrible
things found in the holy, heavenly temple of God?

.........5. They receive seven golden bowls, one each, filled with the wrath
of God from one of the four living creatures
.........6. The temple is then filled with the smoke from the glory of God
and from His power. No one can enter the temple till the
seven plagues are completed.
......b. The second part of this vision - The victorious ones on the sea of glass
mingled with fire
..........1. They have overcome the beast, his image, his mark and the
number of his name.
.......... 2. They are standing on what looks like a sea of glass. This appears
to be a platform before the throne of God. It has been seen
before when the throne has been seen:
* Rev 4:6 John's first vision of the throne
* Ex. 24:10 Moses, the elders and others
* Ez. 1:22 Ezekiel saw it as well
* This is the first time that someone has been revealed
standing on it and the first revelation with fire on it.
* Since they have been on earth and they are now standing
here in the presence of God it could be assumed their
life on earth is completed (to be absent from the body
is to be present with the Lord).
* Though they are standing in the midst of fire they are
untouched and unmoved by it; rather they are...
* .. singing a song of delivery and worship called the song of
Moses and the song of the Lamb, the words of which
are:
"Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord
God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, 0
King of the saints!
4Who shall not fear You, 0 Lord, and glorify
Your name? For You alone are holy. For all
nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.1'
(NKJV)
* . . accompanying themselves on harps apparently given to
them by God.
* The fire may be seen as a purifying refining agent for
these great tribulation saints or as the flames of God's
judgment. We are not given a statement in the text as
to the meaning of the fire.
......c. A third element in this vision is the Temple.
..........1. The temple had already been opened when the 7th angel sounded
his trumpet in Rev. 11:19. At that time the ark of the
covenant could be seen. We recall that the veil in the temple
at the time of Jesus' crucifixion was torn from top to bottom.
* The ark of the covenant contains the covenant God made
with Israel. Its terms are about to be dealt with; it had
been broken by Israel and a new covenant with them
had been promised.
* The temple opened them in response to a song of the
triumph of God over the nations of the world, the
coming kingdom of Christ, the time of judgment of
the dead, the reward of the saints and the coming of
destruction.
* Two angels came out of the temple and a third comes away
from the altar of the temple to start and conduct the
reaping of earth in response to the loud voice
addressing the martyrdom of the saints 14:13,14-20
.......... 2. At this second account of the opening, it is the holy of holies, the
"temple" or inner shrine of the ark, that is being opened
* Seven angels exit the holy of holies with plagues which
must have been kept in there.
* Their exit had been preceded by the song of the martyrs in
which they speak of God's coming justice, the inability
of God's enemies to stand against it, God's righteous
judgment and all nations bowing before Him
* Each of them receives from one of the living beings a bowl
of the wrath of God
* The temple is then filled with smoke from the glory of God
so that no one could enter it again until the angels
work was completed
* The temple being filled is reminiscent of the same
occurrence taking place in time on earth before
** Exodus 40:34-35 The consecration of the
tabernacle
** 1 Kings 8:10-il The dedication of Solomon's
Temple
** Ezek. 8:1-11:25 The glory of God is departing from
the temple because of the wickedness of the
children of Israel
** No account is given of the glory of God ever filling
Herod's temple or filling any place again in this
same manner
* The temple being filled with the glory of God is its
cleansing, its sanctification, its consecration
* The tabernacle/temple on earth is but a shadow or type of
the heavenly
* Spiritual warfare is against "spiritual wickedness in high
places" not against flesh and blood.
* Twice in Matthew (16:19, 18:18) Jesus spoke of
binding/loosing things on earth that they shall have
been already bound or loosed in heaven.
* This would indicate that what had happened on earth (as
the shadow) had happened in heaven (the reality), i.e.
the heavenly temple had been defiled with the
wickedness of Satan and his host. The heavenly
temple is cleansed and dedicated so that the new
temple on earth will be a clean and dedicated building
for the indwelling of the King of Kings, the Lord of
lords.

Revelation 14

A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
EDGEMONT BIBLE CHURCH
FALL 2009-SPRING 2010
MARCH 10, 2010
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET - Part 9
REVELATION CHAPTER 14:1-20
THE SEVENTH SEAL
(What about Israel?)

IX. THE SEVENTH SEAL IS OPENED (Continued from previous week)
[Note: there is war in heaven. Seems to be about Truth and Deception, not carnal weaponry. Ex. Jesus’ temptation: Holiness versus Evil.]
K. The Seventh Trumpet sounds - The 144,000, the angels announcements and the harvest judgment (Continued from previous weeks)
…a. The vision is still on earth - the Lamb is standing on Mount Zion
……1. This is Mount Zion, Jerusalem on earth and there is no threat to is well-being or safety; He is not running, hiding, fighting; this is Jesus as the Redeemer
……2. The setting is after the horrible days of the two beasts and the dragon’s murderous persecution of those believing in God; we have just “fast-forwarded” to the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev 12:7-13:18)
…… 3. The 144,000 Jewish men (Israelites) who were sealed by God (Rev 7:1-8) are standing with him.(This is the New Covenant of Ezek 36)
 Have His Father’s name written in their foreheads
 Are redeemed from the earth, from among men
 Men not defiled with women; virgins
 Follow the Lamb wherever He goes
 First fruits to God and the Lamb
 No guile is found in their mouth
 Without fault before the throne of God

…b. Sounds from heaven speaking to the Lamb and the 144,000
……1. A voice speaks; it has the sound of “many waters” (waterfall? White water rapids?); It has the sound of loud thunder. Unclear whether this is a single voice, whether it is speaking or singing, whether it is judging or rejoicing
……2. Unidentified harpists are heard playing their harps; not only are they unidentified but it is not clear if they are singing as they are playing. We know from earlier accounts the 24 elders have harps but we do not know if they are the ones playing here. Harps are instruments of praise.
……3. If the harpists are the elders they cannot be singing for the singing is being done before the throne, the four living creatures and the elders.
…c. Looks like the 144,000 may be the singers and they have a direct link to the throne of God. No one can learn the song except the 144,000 50 we propose that they are the ones singing back to heaven to the
accompaniment of the heavenly harpists. There is no real distance between heaven and earth when faith, hope, redemption, love and praise are involved.
…d. Three angels make announcements as the one-by-one fly through heaven.
…… 1. The first angel in a loud voice proclaims the everlasting gospel to everyone on earth defined here as every ethnic group, every tribe, every language group, every people
 Fear God (be being in fear)
 Give to Him glory
 The hour of His judgment has come
 Give Him His worth (worship Him)
 He made the heaven, the earth, the sea and the springs of water
…… 2. The second angel of the same kind and in the same way says
Fallen, Fallen is Babylon pronounced as a completed situation
* Babylon is described as that great city (great because of its age; its role in promoting evil idolatry in the world; its commerce as a world commercial center)
 Babylon is described as great because she made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. She made them drink because she took advantage of the perverse lusts in human flesh and gave them what they were looking for. Wine because of its captivating, addictive, intoxicating, behavior-modifying and life-destroying power. Wrath because it is filled with ungodly passion, rebellion, rage, violence and hatred of God. Fornication here as spiritual immorality; disloyalty to the maker and lover of the soul of man; illicit relationships with the “gods” of their own making and of demonic origin.
……3. The third angel of the same kind and in the same way pronounces judgment
* on those who have worshipped the beast and his image, who have received his mark on his forehead or his hand
*shall also drink (since he has drunk to the fullest drunkenness the wine of Babylon) the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. Wine because of its intoxicating, life-destroying power. Wrath because it is full of God’s long-suffering anger against repeated,
multiple violations of His relationship to humanity; because it has been stored all these long years against them.
* The judgment is described as tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Sinners in the hands of an angry God!
 The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever
 They have no rest day or night
 The angel then pronounces the blessing of those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; he calls it their patient endurance - something worth waiting for in spite of all trials, temptations and persecutions
 John gets to record this blessing for us in these words
‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Rev 14:13 (NKJV)
… e. The vision of the Son of Man sitting on a white cloud wearing a golden crown and having a sharp sickle in His hand
……1. This is Jesus as the Judge and Lord of the Harvest. The crown pictures His victory over sin, death and the curse. The sickle pictures the tool of the harvest.
……2.Yet another angel of the same kind and in the same way flies out of the temple (the Throne of God the Father) crying with a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud
 Thrust in your sickle and reap; the harvest is ripe and ready. This may not be a resurrection at all
 He thrusts in His sickle and the earth is reaped. This is the reaping of the redeemed ones; the seed the Son of Man sowed from the beginning. This is a delivery of the Tribulation believers from the wrath that is coming with the next harvesting and not necessarily a resurrection.
 Yet another angel of the same kind came out of the temple of heaven with a sickle joined by another angel of the same kind from the altar commanding the previous angel to reap what is left
 His reaping is of the wicked who bore fruit and it is cast into the winepress of the wrath of God
 The wine press is pressed to its completion and a huge multitude of the wicked die. This is probably the battle of Armageddon

Revelation 13

A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
EDGEMONT BIBLE CHURCH
FALL 2009- SPRING 2010
MARCH 03,2010
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET - Part 8
REVELATION CHAPTER 13:1-18
THE SEVENTH SEAL

IX. THE SEVENTH SEAL IS OPENED (Continued from previous week)
J. The Seventh Trumpet sounds - Two beasts on earth with Tribulation powers
(Continued from previous weeks)
1. Standing on the sea shore
a. The vision is clearly back to earth again
* Textual clarity is needed here. Who is it that is standing on the sands of the sea? NKJV says "I" meaning John. Some other texts read "he" most likely referring to the dragon. It makes sense that it is most likely the dragon that is in view here.
b. He is summoning up the beast out of the sea. The statement
probably belongs at the end of the previous chapter as its last verse.
2. The beast comes out of the sea.
a. The sea must be identified with the abyss for Rev 11:7 and 17:8 identify this beast as coming out of the abyss or bottomless pit. Since the abyss had been the dwelling of other demons, it is logical to assume this beast is a demon as well. He must be a powerful demon, as it appears he has been the power behind the 7 empires that have persecuted Israel. He is an identical image of Satan. He looks to be coming out of the abyss corresponding to Satan's fall from heaven about mid-Tribulation. He has 3 1/2 years or 42 months of a reign of terror during the last half of the Tribulation. He will inhabit and empower the Antichrist (see below, "CONJECTURE")
b. The description of this beast matches that of the 4 beasts in Daniel 7with some added detail. These beasts pictured the Babylonian empire (lion), The Medo-Persian empire (bear), the Grecian empire (leopard) and the Roman empire (a dreadful, terrible and powerful indescribable beast) with ten horns.
c. This beast has 7 heads and 10 horns matching the description of the dragon in 12:3. The seven heads correspond to the kingdoms that have enslaved or persecuted Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and now this last one. This does not imply that other earthly kingdoms did or do not exist but that these kingdoms had a relationship to His covenant people, Israel. Other kingdoms such as the mean, Mayan, Chinese and etc., may all have been powerful and expansive but their relationship with Israel seems to have been nil. The Bible's emphasis is placed on Israel, His covenanted people, their existence, their future, the future of the gentile nations as it is tied with theirs and the devil's hatred of them.
d. This is the last gentile, earthly kingdom before the final earthly kingdom, the one in which Jesus is king, is established. It is a combination of all previous kingdoms, most likely coming geographically and perhaps ethnically from the old Roman empire.
e. This beast is both a nation or kingdom and a person at the same time. Identities of nations are often tied up with a prominent leader even today. Egypt is tied to Pharaoh, Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, Greece with Alexander the Great, Rome with Julius Caesar etc. Barak Obama speaks for and is the United States in the eyes of many of the world just as it had been with all other previous presidents. So as this beast is spoken of it is both as a kingdom and as its king.
f. He is fully empowered by the dragon in his authority, power, and throne. The devil, who has all earthly kingdoms in his control, puts all the power he intends to share with a mortal, in this last empire and its king. The dragon, of course, is Satan.
g. One of the beast's head is described as having had a mortal wound which miraculously seems to have been healed!
* Since the heads have referred to empires or kingdoms in
the past, is this referring to a kingdom or empire which had been "mortally wounded"? It would be consistent with biblical hermeneutics to keep the symbols the same.
* Since an empire being mortally wounded may be a hard concept to grasp, could this by referring to the king or head over some nation or empire who was wounded mortally in the head?
CONJECTURE: Is it possible that the human anti-christ
who had made the covenant with Israel for a 7 year time of peace is human for his first 3 1/2 years, is assassinated about that time with a head wound and is resurrected by the beast out of the sea? It is the beast out of the sea who takes over his place for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation then known as the Great Tribulation. This makes sense of Rev 17:11 where he is said to be the eighth who is of the seven.
* Whichever it is, the head wound which killed him is healed and some sort of resurrection has followed, giving rise to another false perception of a Christ. It looks to be an imitation of Jesus' death and resurrection in order to bedazzle the world into believing he is the messiah.
* Whether this is a genuine resurrection allowed by God as a great delusion (2 Th 2:11,12); or it is a lying wonder, a fake or fraud (2 Th 2:9,10) it is enough to fool the whole world into amazed following of him.
h. His first act as the Antichrist/beast is to murder the two witnesses Rev 11:7. He then begins to exalt and magnify himself
3. Satan, the dragon, has given the beast its power and the world knows it. They worship the dragon who has given the beast the power
4. The beast is granted authority and his arrogance, since he can go unchecked, extends now to his mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. He blasphemes God, His Name, His tabernacle and those who dwell in Heaven.
a. He is given authority to do his blasphemous work for 42 months, the last half of the Tribulation or the period known as the Great Tribulation.
b. He is given authority to make war against the saints and to overcome them. Notice: this will be the Gentile saints since believing (elect) Israel has been protected by God.
c. Additionally this authority extends over every tribe, tongue and nation. His is a world-wide empire and kingdom.
5. The worship of him is also world-wide among those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
6. A solemn, bone-chilling warning is given to anyone with an ear to hear:
Re 13:10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (NKJV)

7. The beast out of the earth
a. This is probably some sort of chained demon now released from an earth-bound prison, as he is called "another" (Greek meaning another of the same kind) beast.
b. He is described as much more subtle than the first. He has horns like a lamb but a voice like a dragon. Not much other physical description is given of him
c. When he is in the presence of the first beast he has the same authority as the first beast.
d. He causes the whole earth to worship the first beast
e. He has power to perform miraculous signs and wonders including bringing fire down from heaven
f. He uses these signs to deceive the world (of unbelievers) and to make an image of the first beast and worship it
g. He gives breath to the image to make it speak and kill those who do not worship the image of the beast.
h. He is the one who uses the scheme of a mark of the beast or the use of his name to ensure proper economic distribution of all necessities of life to those with the mark and no other
i. Here is a mystery given to us:
Re 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has
understanding calculate the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a man: His
number is six hundred and sixty-six.(NKJV)

AS A SIDE NOTE: The devil is always about the business of deceiving and creating the false so that he may be "like the Most High!" With the coming of this last beast the unholy trinity is complete: The Devil, is counterpart of the Son; and the last beast is the counterpart of the Holy Spirit.

Events of the Day

"[Those] who run Washington, and their intellectual supporters, believe they have superior wisdom and greater intelligence than the masses. They believe they have been ordained to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Like any other tyrant, they have what they consider good reasons for restricting the freedom of others." --economist Walter E. Williams

"In the Democrat leadership, we are not dealing with conventional politicians for whom the goal of being reelected is paramount and will rein in their radicalism. They want socialized medicine and all it entails about government control even more than they want to win elections. After all, if the party of government transforms the relationship between the citizen and the state, its power over our lives will be vast even in those cycles when it is not in the majority. This is about power, and there is more to power than winning elections, especially if you've calculated that your opposition does not have the gumption to dismantle your ballooning welfare state." --columnist Andy McCarthy

"One of the biggest reasons for higher medical costs is that somebody else is paying those costs, whether an insurance company or the government. What is the politicians' answer? To have more costs paid by insurance companies and the government. ... [H]aving someone else pay for medical care virtually guarantees that a lot more of it will be used. Nothing would lower costs more than having each patient pay those costs. And nothing is less likely to happen." --economist Thomas Sowell

"While Barack Obama was making his latest pitch for a brand new, even more unsustainable entitlement at the health care 'summit,' thousands of Greeks took to the streets to riot. An enterprising cable network might have shown the two scenes on a continuous split-screen - because they're part of the same story. It's just that Greece is a little further along in the plot: They're at the point where the canoe is about to plunge over the falls. America is further upstream and can still pull for shore, but has decided, instead, that what it needs to do is catch up with the Greek canoe." --columnist Mark Steyn

"Too many Americans now believe that the checks they receive every month from the unemployment office -- like the checks they get from the welfare office, from Medicare, from Social Security -- are inalienable rights. They are not." --columnist Ben Shapiro