Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson

Year IV, No. 5                                                          May                                                                2010                                   

Master Outline Number Fifty Two

(From the "Christian Life Bible", Thomas Nelson, Porter Barrington)

The Seven Sevens of the Revelation

The number "seven" is often used symbolically in the Bible to signify completeness. This usage is partly derived from the Genesis account of God having created all things in six days and resting on the seventh. In other words, at the end of the seventh day, the work and rest cycle of Creation was complete. Similarly, from biblical antiquity, the week has been fitted into a cycle of seven days, ending with the day of rest-the Sabbath.

Since the book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, is the closing book of the Bible, proclaiming God's end of this present age (an age of sin growing rampant, and Satan seemingly triumphant for a season), it is not surprising that the book's imagery is presented in stages of sevens. The end of all things tainted by sin lies before us. The age is viewed through the telescope of prophecy as having run its course, and, in sets of seven after seven, the conclusion is breathtakingly displayed before us. The revelation of God's total victory and triumph, in every area of the spiritual battle of the universe, is outlined for us by the book itself in the Seven Sevens of Revelation.

The seven letters were written to actual historical assemblies of believers that existed at the close of the first century in the province of Asia-today's western Turkey. The letters were delivered to the seven churches. They were real cities and real churches. There were, of course, at that time many other Christian churches at such cities as Rome, Corinth, Colosse, and so on.

These seven, in the providence of God, provide for us a microcosm of all churches of every age, and thus they are representative. Likewise, the problems that these seven churches faced are today faced by churches in varying degrees. From the letters we can learn what qualities displease God, and what Christ advocates for their remedy.

Some have also seen in these churches a prophetic quality, i.e., that in this book of prophecy they foreshadow the seven dominant characteristics of the entire church on earth through the various eras until the Lord comes. The suggested eras, looking back from the present, are as follows:

(1) Ephesus-apostolic church (A.D. 30-100)

(2) Smyrna-persecuted church (A.D. 100-313)

(3) Pergamos-state church (A.D. 313-590)

(4) Thyatira-papal church (A.D. 590-1517)

(5) Sardis-reformation church (AD. 1517-1730)

(6) Philadelphia-evangelistic church (AD. 1730-until the Rapture) (7) Laodicea-apostate church (A.D. 1900-until Second Coming)

Christ wrote to the seven local churches because each congregation was a self-governing body. A local church may be affiliated with a fellowship, a denomination, or a larger, corporate society, but God holds the leadership responsible for the teaching of his congregation.

The secret to the study of each letter is to recognize the chief problem of each church, as identified by the Lord, and then to see how everything in the letter-Christ's appearance, warnings, and promises of reward-relates to this problem.

Before you begin the study of the Seven Sevens, read God's introduction to the study of the seven churches, in the first chapter of Revelation

The Revelation OF JESUS CHRIST

Revelation is the only largely prophetic book of the New Testament. In this intensely interesting book, the veil is pulled aside and the future disclosed in a series of panoramic visions beheld by the apocalyptic seer.

AUTHORSHIP. Four times in the book itself a man named John is identified as the author. Early Christian tradition, including the specific remark by Irenaeus that John the son of Zebedee wrote Revelation, centered on the last living apostle as the author. John was exiled by the anti-Christian emperor Domitian to the rock quarries on the island of Patmos, due west from the coast of Miletus. It has been pointed out that the style of Revelation is different from that of John's Gospel or epistles. This can be accounted for by the fact that it is a vision and that he would not have had an amanuensis on the island, and by the very varied subject matter in these Johannine writings. There are also many similarities between the Gospel, the epistles and Revelation. There is, for example, John's fondness for the titles "Word" and "Lamb of God," and the expression "he who has an ear." There is no strong reason to reject the traditional Christian view that John the son of Zebedee is the author.

How REVELATION FITS INTO THE BIBLE. Revelation is the "Grand Central Station" of the Bible, where all the "trains" come in. The trains of thought that started in Genesis and wended their way through sixty-four books come to a conclusion in this remarkable book. While many people underrate Revelation (some go to the other extreme!) it is the most fitting finale to the Word of God imaginable. It places the capstone on all the revelations in God's Word with the final Revelation of Jesus Christ, looking forward to the future when He will be indisputably King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

How Revelation FITS TOGETHER. Revelation is one of those books that has the key (the outline) right inside the door, in 1 :19. In that verse "the things which you have seen" refer to the past, namely the vision of the glorified Christ that John saw in chapter 1; "the things which are" refer to the present church age which is detailed in chapters 2 and 3; and "the things which will take place after this" refer to the prophecies of chapters 4 through 22, having to do with the Great Tribulation, the judgment, and the eternal state. The last and largest division consists of five sevens: seven seals (4:1-8:1), seven trumpets (8:2-11:19), seven bowls (15:1-16:21), seven dooms (17:1-20:15) and seven new things (21 :1-22:21). There are also a number of parenthetical sections breaking up this long series of judgments, including some very beautiful passages of worship, such as chapters 4 and 5.

God, Christ, and Satan; men, saved and unsaved; and angels, holy and unholy, are the actors in this marvelous book of plan and purpose. light and darkness, good and evil are the moral forces in opposition. The scenes shift and change, now time, then eternity. Heaven, earth, the abyss, and the lake of fire form the platform and theater of display. There is the song of the victor and the wail of the vanquished.

Revelation reveals God's triumphs, the millennial and eternal glories of Christ shining forth in undiminished and undying splendor. Then shall be brought to pass the saying of the Hebrew prophet, "He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied" (Is. 53:11).

The new heaven, the new city, and the new earth become the eternal abodes of all that is holy and good; while the lake of fire becomes the eternal home of all the wicked and ungodly of all the ages.

For nearly two thousand years this last book in the Bible has been both an inspiration and a mystery to the people of God. It is also one of the most misunderstood and neglected books. There is widespread prejudice against the study of this wonderful book. Yet a special blessing is upon all who read and hear the words of this prophecy (1 :3). There is also a terrible curse and plague placed upon everyone who tries to add or take away from the words of the book of these prophecies (22:18, 19).

In times of darkness and persecution it has given courage to its readers, enabling them to endure hardship and death for the sake of Christ. In periods of ease and prosperity it has been the battleground of exegetes who have endeavored to fashion the strange pageant into a consistent eschatology.

Man has attempted to do with this book the very thing that God, in the book, told him not to do; namely, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand" (22:10).         

The book of Revelation is both literal and figurative. It is to be taken as literal wherever possible. To treat this book as a mystery or to spiritualize it is to deny what it professes to be. Every truth and every scene is clearly explained in the book itself. This last book in the Bible is in perfect harmony with all preceding prophecies and is the logical and harmonious completion of them.

The structure of Revelation declares the progress of the thought; the imagery has to be interpreted in terms of the concepts and literature familiar to the early saints; and the phenomenon of the contemporary social, political, and religious scene which is reflected in

allusions and prophecies.        .

This wonderfully inspired book is exactly what its name implies: it is a revelation, an unveiling (the title of the book is not plural). It is the one great manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is, as He was, and as He ever shall be. One learns as the study of the book progresses that Jesus is seated in majesty, crowned with glory, and clothed with all authority. In this last book in the Bible we see Jesus, God's Son, as the consummation of all things and the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Genesis is the seedbed out of which all revealed truth has grown. This last book in the Bible, Revelation, is the full flower and fruit of these truths seen in the finished work of our Lord.

A. The Seven Churches (Revelation 2:1-3:22)

(1) "To the angel [or messenger] of the church of Ephesus" (2:1-7). This local congregation had left its first love; Christ therefore warned that He would remove its lampstand, its distinction as a local church, unless it repented (2:4, 5). Christ is apparently unwilling to have a church continue to exist without love. leaving their love was fatal unless they repented. The love which they left was their first love-love for the Savior. To this assembly of believers, Christ came as the One who held the church's life in His hand (2:1). Christ promised, "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (2:7).

(2) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church in Smyrna" (2:8-11). This local congregation was to face persecution (2:10). Christ came to the church as the persecuted one who "was dead, and came to life" (2:8). He admonished them to "not fear any of those things" (2:10), and held forth to the over comer the promise that he "shall not be hurt by the second death." The second death is eternal separation from the mercy and grace of God (2:11; 20:14). Note that Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches not rebuked or called to repent.

(3) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church in Pergamos" (2:12-17). This local assembly tolerated certain evils:

(a) "The doctrine of Balaam" (2:14). Balaam was a mercenary prophet who "put a stumbling block before the children of Israel" (2:14) and advised Balak (Num. 22:2), the king of Midian, to lead the children of Israel in eating things sacrificed to idols (Num. 25:1-3; cf. 2 Pet. 2:15), as well as having the Midianite women seduce the men of Israel's army, causing them to "trespass [in adultery] against the lORD" (Num. 31:16).

(b) "The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (2:15). We do not know definitely what the Nicolaitans taught; we do know that Jesus hated it. The name itself means "conqueror of the laity" (people).

            Thus, Christ comes to the church with "the sharp two-edged sword"-the Word of God (2:12,16; cf. Heb. 4:12) which separates the good from evil (Ps. 119:11). To the overcomer Christ gives "the hidden manna" (spiritual nourishment) and a new name-every born-again child of God will receive a new name in glory (2:17).

(4) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church in Thyatira" (2:18-29). This local congregation was dominated by "Jezebel," a false teacher, who was allowed to corrupt the church with her evil doctrine (2:20). She apparently was a carbon copy of Queen jezebel during the time of Elijah. Thus, to this church, Christ comes with "[His] eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass," ready to stamp in judgment (2:18; 2 Kin. 9:30-37). The overcomers are promised power to rule over the nations (2:26,27). All who refuse to follow the teachings of that Jezebel, in Thyatira and all the other churches, will be rewarded in the Millennium \\lith power to rule the nations with Christ (3:21).

(5) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church in Sardis" (3:1-6). This local assembly had a good outward reputation, but was spiritually dead (3:1). Christ tells them to "remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent" (3:3). To the overcomer Christ promises a glorious, outward robe of white, reflecting a true, inward holy life that will never be blotted out (3:5).

(6) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church in Philadelphia" (3:7-13). This local congregation has much in common with Smyrna in that after Jesus identified Himself as the writer of this epistle, He commended the Philadelphian assembly, reminding them that He set before them "an open door, and no one can shut it" (3:8). The message here is for any church that will be faithful in teaching and preaching the whole counsel of God, that will keep the Word of God, that will not allow false teacher~ to come into their midst and "deny My name" (3:7, 8). The Philadelphian church has no room for liars. They know the love of God that passes all understanding (3:9). Jesus promised, "I also will keep you from [Greek ek, "out of"] the hour of trial [the Great Tribulation] which shall come upon the whole world" (3:10). He reminds the church that His coming will be quick, instant, without warning, and "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:52). He urges Philadelphia to hold fast to His Word lest they lose their crown (reward) (3:11;cf. 2 Tim. 4:8). The Lord describes the rewards for the overcorner (3:12):    .

(a) He will be a pillar in the temple;

(b) Upon him will be written the name of God the Father, the name of the New Jerusalem, and Christ's "new name."

(7) "And to the angel [or messenger] of the church of the Laodiceans" (3:14-22). This is obviously not a Spirit-filled, Christ-honoring church. Laodicea is being judged by its works. Jesus said, "I know your works." They were neither "cold nor hot" (3:15). They were satisfied with their outward profession. Jesus knew their works, but they did not. The most difficult person to reach with the gospel is the one who is self-satisfied and lukewarm. Paraphrased, Jesus said, "You make Me sick at My stomach, therefore I will vomit you out of My mouth. You claim to be rich, but you are spiritually poverty-stricken. You think you do not need anything, when you need everything. You think you know it all, and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and spiritually naked" (3:16, 17). Our Lord implores them to repent (3:18,19). The Lord Jesus stands at the door of the Laodicean church, knocking, waiting for someone to open the door of the church, that He may enter and revive that person (3:20). Whoever overcomes will be rewarded in Christ's kingdom. "Come out from among them and be separate" (2 Cor. 6:14-18). You cannot fellowship with an unrighteous apostate church and fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

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B. The Seven Seals (Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1)-Chapters 4 and 5 feature a scene in heaven, in which God the Father holds a scroll closed by seven seals. A search revealed that no one in heaven or earth was worthy to open it (Rev. 5:2-4). Then it was proclaimed that the Lion of Judah, who had "prevailed" over sin at the cross, was worthy; and all heaven broke into an anthem of praise to Him (Rev. 5:5,9-14). As Christ removed the seals from the book, events of judgment began to take place on the earth.

(1) The first seal: a white horse (6:2). The rider on the white horse is the Antichrist. The apostle Paul gives us a vivid picture of the coming of this rider. Before he comes, two things will happen:

(a) "The falling away." This spiritual falling away will take place during the church age and will be intensified in the end time.           .           .

(b) "The man of sin [Antichrist] is revealed, the son of perdition" (utter destruction). He will appear 6n the political scene, using his demonic psychology, with a solution to all the problems of the nations. He will exalt himself "above all that is called God." He will be worshiped by unbelievers, "so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:3,4; cf. Matt. 24:15-22; Dan. 9:27).

Note: The rider of the white horse is not the Lord Jesus Christ, who later rides into history as seen in Revelation (19:11-16). Here, Jesus is the One who opens the seal, revealing the false christ who rides rampant for the seven-year Tribulation period prior to Christ's second coming.

(2) The second seal: a red horse (6:4). The world, for thousands of years, has had "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24:4-7). Many great battles have been fought, but none can compare with the wars that will be fought in the last three-and-one-half years of the Tribulation. The rider of the red horse will do the will of the Antichrist and lead the nations of the world into the Battle of Armageddon. Because the first three-and-one-half years of the Antichrist's rule will be an era of world peace, people will think that he has ushered in permanent peace" until the rider of the red horse comes with the sword of warfare to do battle with the Lord Jesus Christ and His army (Rev. 19:11-19, page 1312).

(3) The third seal: a black horse (6:5, 6). The rider of the black horse, with scalesin hand, is death by famine. He portrays an initial period of plenty for all; but afterward the average man's daily wage will be the price of a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley. Only the powerful and rich will enjoy the oil and the wine. At the end of the church age, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will increase (Matt. 24:7, page 973), but this cannot be compared with the latter part of the Tribulation period, portrayed by the rider of the black horse.

(4) The fourth seal: a pale horse (6:7, 8). The rider of the pale horse is called "Death, and Hades followed with him," Hades is the place of lost souls (Luke 16:19-31, page 1035). "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death"-eternal separation from God (Rev. 20:14, page 1314).

(5) The fifth seal: souls under the altar (6:9-11). Among the events of this period, the Tribulation saints who will turn to Christ (Matt. 24:21, 22, page 973) will face martyrdom. They overcome by the blood of the Lamb. These martyred saints include all those who lose their lives by preaching the Word of God during the Tribulation (Rev. 12:11, page 1305). They are the 144,000 of the twelve tribes of Israel, along with an innumerable host of Gentiles (7:1-17).

(6) The sixth seal: earthquakes and signs in the heavens (6:12-17). When the Lamb opens the sixth seal, great judgment falls upon the earth. Earthquakes move mountains and islands out of their places. The sun becomes-black as sackcloth of hair. The earth is. in total darkness. There are catastrophes in the heavens. The moon becomes like blood. The "stars of heaven" (6:13), great meteors, fall to the earth (Luke 21:25-27, page 1042). All rebels against the Lord will try to hide from the Lamb and escape the judgment of the nations at the end of the Tribulation (Matt. 25:31, page 976), as well as t~e Great White Throne judgment (at the end of the Millennium) where all the wicked dead stand before Christ to be judged and cast into the lake of fire. They fill the dens and caves of the world, and pray for the mountains to cover them from the Lamb of God who died on Calvary. "For the great day of His [the Lamb's] wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (6:17).

(7) The seventh seal: seven trumpets (8:1). Chapter 7 is a parenthesis amid the judgments of the book which shows the salvation .of two saved multitudes, one Jewish and the other much larger, from every kindred and nation. Then the seventh seal is opened, out of which seven more judgments appear-the trumpet judgments of chapters 8 and 9.

52-C. The Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8:2-1):21; 11:15-19)-At the opening of the seventh seal, a silence will fill heaven (8:1). This silence is not itself the content of the seventh seal, but a reaction in heaven to its awesome contents.

            The trumpets sound the battle cry of impending holy judgment. This judgment against the wicked is required by God's holiness, and is also a long-awaited answer to the prayers of the saints (8:3) who have cried for God to clear the earth of wickedness (Rev. 6:9, 10). As the trumpets sound, one after another, God's might is unleashed against the impenitent of the earth who still spurn Him. Notice that God does not permit these evils to fall until His 144,000 witnesses are first sealed (Rev. 7:2, 3, page 1300).

(1) The first trumpet: hail and fire (8:7). A third part of the trees and all green grass are destroyed by hail and fire. The greenery of the earth gives us oxygen and food that grows. Humanists and other rebels will want no part of God; thus God removes a portion of the earth's vital nourishment which He had provided for man on the third day of Creation.

(2) The second trumpet: bloody waters (8:8, 9). According to the Scriptures, it is not a mountain, but something as great as a mountain, that is burning with fire and cast into the sea. A third 'of the sea becomes blood, which is not an entirely new occurrence (Ex. 7:19-25). A third of the sea creatures die, and a third of the ships are destroyed. This is a great miracle of judgment on the Antichrist and his government.

(3) The third trumpet: bitter waters (8:10, 11). A third part of the rivers are suddenly and violently polluted by what appears to be a giant, burning meteorite. It affects the water table and underground reservoirs. Upon contact it causes a part of the water to become wormwood-very bitter (Jer. 9:13-15), and many die because of the toxic chemicals in the water.

(4) The fourth trumpet: restricted light (8:12). A third part of the sun, moon, and stars are blotted out of sight (Luke 21 :25-28), perhaps the direct result of the meteor of the third trumpet having caused enormous clouds of dust to fill the atmosphere. The fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets are called "woes" (8:13), showing the steadily increasing severity of God's judgments.

(5) The fifth trumpet, the first woe: locusts from the pit (9:1-11). The star (angel) from heaven comes down to earth and is given a key to the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3). When he unlocks the bottomless pit, there arises a smoke that darkens the sun. Out of the smoke come locusts such as the world has never known. The description that John gives us is beyond anything that man could imagine. They go out and torment the ungodly for five months. Their sting is like that of a scorpion. Men pray to die, but death eludes them. According to verse 11, they must be demonized locusts, for their king is Apollyon (Satan).

(6) The sixth trumpet, the second woe: invasion of the two hundred million (9:13-21). Horsemen, two hundred million of them, come from the East and cross the Euphrates River into the Middle East (9:14,16). This fits the description of Revelation 16:12, which pictures eastern armed forces pouring into Armageddon (Rev. 16:16, page 1310). They kill a third of mankind (9:15,18), not worldwide, but in the area of their assault. Some Bible students see this vast cavalry as totally supernatural, demons (or demon- possessed men) going out in the power of Satan, who are completely destroyed by the power of the lord Jesus Christ, who personally ends the Battle of Armageddon and establishes His kingdom (Zech. 14:1-4; cf. Matt. 24:21,22).

(7) The seventh trumpet, the third woe: the end of Satan's dominion (11:15-19). There is great joy in heaven, because the kingdom of this world (Satan's kingdom) comes to an eternal end, and God's kingdom is restored to earth. At the fall of man in Eden, Satan became the false god of this world system (2 Cor. 4:4), "the ruler of the demons" (Matt. 12:24), and ruler of all who disobey God (Eph. 2:2). At the end of Satan's kingdom, the host of heaven rejoices in worship because creation is once again the kingdom of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, who will reign forever and ever. By this trumpet we are given a glimpse of God's eternal temple (11:19).

            The seven bowls of God's wrath remain to be poured out on the wicked. The nations of this world unknowingly are preparing themselves for the final holocaust.

52-D: The Seven Personages. Revelation 11:3 until 13:18.  There are seven key personages whose identities are essential for understanding the visions of chapters 11 through 13.  These three chapters show the height of Satan's kingdom and prepare us for the necessity of God's judgments which must follow as described in chapters 14 through 20.

 (1) The witnesses (11:3-12). These are God's two end-time prophets who preach against the world's sin during the first period of the Great Tribulation-the Seventieth Week of years of Daniel 9:27 which·c1ose this era. They come in the power of Moses and Elijah and are slain by the Beast (see (6) below), but are raised from the dead by God.

(2) The woman (12:1, 2, 13-17). She is the nation of Israel, the Old Testament wife of Jehovah, as shown by the sun, moon, and twelve stars matching Joseph's dream of Israel in Genesis 37:9, 10. This chapter teaches us that at the close of the age, and in the Tribulation period, Satan persecutes Israel, but God delivers and rescues her as her people turn to Christ (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26).

(3) The Dragon (12:3, 4). This figure is clearly Satan, as Revelation 12:9 declares, that "serpent of old" who deceived Eve (1 Tim. 2:14), the one who through Herod sought to kill the Christ child in Bethlehem (Jer. 31:15; cf. Matt. 2:16-18)   The "dragon" is the ruler of the fallen angels (Matt. 12:24), the persecutor of Israel and of the saints of the ages, and the false father of the counterfeit trinity who gives power to his false son, the Beast (13:2). He is bound during the Millennium , (Rev. 20:2) and finally cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

(4) The Child (12:4). The Child is Christ, born of the woman, Israel (12:1, 2; cf. Rom. 1:3).  Satan, the Dragon, sought to slay Him with the infants in Bethlehem "as soon as it [He] was born." It is the Christ who will rule the nations "with a rod of iron" (Ps. 2:9) during His thousand-year reign, which He will establish at His second· coming. The enemy of Israel, Satan, has always been the enemy of Christ.

(5) Michael, the archangel (12:7). Michael defends Israel during "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7; cf. Dan. 12:1). Christ called this a time of "great tribulation" (Matt. 24:21). Amid Satan's final attack on the woman (Israel), Michael is seen doing heavenly battle with Satan and his hosts.

(6) The Beast (13:1). The Beast corresponds to the Roman Empire (the fourth beast of Daniel) and to its leader Antichrist (Dan. 7:7; cf. 8:19-27). This beast (the Antichrist) rises up out of the revived Roman Empire. Christ is the stone, cut out without hands, who falls upon the feet (the kingdom of the Antichrist, the revived Roman Empire) and grinds it to powder (Dan. 2:31-35, page 835). The Beast is the counterfeit "son" who receives his power from Satan (13:2) and will be wounded and healed (13:14). He is "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20) at Christ's second coming, I following Armageddon (Rev. 16:16).

(7) The second beast. This is the False Prophet (13:11-18), the third member of the counterfeit "trinity" (Rev. 16:13), who arises after the Beast is healed and causes all to worship the first Beast (13:12), , and who marks his own with the mark of the Beast (13:17, 18). See Romans 8:9  and Ephesians 1:13 . Note how this false spirit copies and counterfeits the work of the true Trinity. Satan's I kingdom, however, is destroyed at the coming of Christ.

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52-E. The Seven Bowls (Revelation 16:1-21)- The term, "the seven last plagues" (Rev. 15:1, above), indicates that they are the last series of God's judgments (following the seals of chapter 6 and the trumpets of chapters 8 and 9) before Christ returns to destroy the wicked at Armageddon (v. 16; cf. Rev. 19:11-20).

(1) The first bowl: sores. This bowl is a loathsome sore (v. 2) with a noxious odor, which falls upon those who have the mark of the Beast (666) and upon those who worship his image. A similar curse was placed upon the Egyptians by the lord (Ex. 9:8-11), and Moses warned the children of Israel of physical plagues that would come upon them if they disobeyed the lord (Deut. 28:27,35).

(2) The second bowl: the bloody sea. The oceans become like the "blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died" (v. 3). In the trumpet judgment, the third part of the sea is turned to blood. God also turned water into blood to plague the Egyptians in the days of Moses (Ex. 7:15-25).

(3) The third bowl: the bloody rivers. God will judge the mass of murderers who flood the earth with men's blood by causing the rivers to become blood (vv. 4-7).

(4) The fourth bowl: the solar furnace. The sun burns (vv. 8, 9). Solar energy will scorch mankind, who reject the Creator of all light, heat, and energy which makes life on earth possible. Still they do not. repent.

(5) The fifth bowl: darkness. The seat (throne) of the Beast is darkened (vv. 10, 11). The Beast (Antichrist), and all those who worship him as God, are thrown into total darkness. They go mad, and gnaw their tongues for pain. Still they do not repent.

(6) The sixth bowl: the Euphrates dries up. By drying up the great river (v. 12), God creates a land route for the vast armies of the east as they march to their destruction at Armageddon in northern Israel (Rev. 19:19-21).

(7) The seventh bowl: Babylon destroyed. The capital city of the Antichrist is destroyed, and a heavenly voice fittingly declares, "It is done!" (v. 17). This destruction is the subject of Revelation 18, and with it comes cosmic and geological disruption of the earth and its islands (vv. 18-21). The capital of the Antichrist is called "Babylon" because of its gross immorality, its religious confusion, and its souls belonging to Satan. Some Bible students believe a literal city will be rebuilt on the ancient site of Babylon in the last times.

52-F. The Seven Dooms (Revelation 17:1-20:15)- The heavenly throng now shouts "Alleluia!" for judgments (19:1). Previously the heavenly martyrs anxiously cried to God, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and until You judge and avenge our blood?" (Rev. 6:10)   These judgments are just, and necessary save life on the planet (Matt. 24:22). ,

(1) The first doom: the harlot. The false, harlot church will be totally corrupt (17:1-18; cf. Matt. 7:21). She deceives the world (17:2), slays God's saints (17:6), and rises with Antichrist as he c1imes to power (17:3). The Antichrist's own coalition of rulers finally turns against this false church and destroy (17:12,16,17).

(2) The second doom: Babylon. The Antichrist builds a coastal city somewhere in the Middle E~ Babylon the Great (18:1-24,. This port city will be the center of commerce, wealth, i wickedness (18:16-19). This city of power and persecution of the Tribulation saints is totally destroyed the power of God in one hour (18:17-24).

(3) The third doom: soldiers at Armageddon and Jerusalem. Not all the world is destroyed at Armageddon (19:17-19:21). The soldiers are destroyed who are enlisted from armies coming to des Israel at the Antichrist's command (Zech. 14:12, 16; cf. Ezek. 39:1-12,17).

(4) The fourth doom: the first and 'second Beasts. The Antichrist, posing as Christ, and the False prophet deceive the nations of the world until these two partners are cast into the eternal lake of fire (19:19)

(5) The fifth doom: Gog and Magog (20:7-9). When Satan is released, at the end of the thousand Years of righteous government under Christ, he goes out to all the nations of the earth, gathering together all those who were born during the Millennium, but were never saved. They follow Satan into battle and try  to overthrow God. In this we see the influence of sin and the great power of Satan over lost humanity, as 1 as the omnipotence of God to deal with the last vestige of evil on the face of planet earth.

(6) The sixth doom: the Dragon, Satan (20:1-3, 10). At Christ's glorious coming with His church at close of the seven years of this age, the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27), all three members of the "trinity" are captured, so that the Millennium of peace may begin. The Beast (or Antichrist) and his Prophet are both cast into the lake of fire; Satan is cast into a bottomless pit at the same time. Hence, he "deceives the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must released for a little while" (20:3) and then cast into the lake of fire where the Beast and the False Prophet

(7) The seventh doom: the unsaved at the Great White Throne judgment (20:11-15). The final doom all lost humanity will be the lake of fire. Here death and hell produce the lost souls for judgment. "Hell' Greek is Hades, literally "Unseen," and refers to the unseen location of the lost dead. The believing dead to be "with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). That this throne is white reflects the holy, perfect, spotless truth of God's law against sin. !

Let no reader despair, however; Christ Himself invites you to live eternally (Rev. 3:20). Believe that He died for your sins, and so be saved today

52-G. The Seven New Wonders (Revelation 21:1-22:7)-We now come 'to that wonderful, glorious, and exciting close of this great book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ-the seven new wonders. Keep in mind that these seven new wonders will be new throughout eternity. This is the end of the Millennium and the beginning of a perfect, glorious, and holy existence with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our new glorified bodies.

(1) The new heaven (21:1). When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, the earth and the atmospheric heaven came under the curse of sin. Satan became the "god of this age"-this world system (2 Cor. 4:4). He also became "the prince of the power of the air"-the atmospheric heaven (Eph. 2:2). When Satan is cast into the lake of fire, along with the Antichrist and the False Prophet, then Christ the Creator will recreate the atmospheric heaven, as well as the earth. This will be the end of destructive storms of all kinds, as well as polluted air. We do not know just how far in space the curse extends; but God's new heaven will cover the total curse. All will be new (2 Pet. 3:12, 13).

(2) The new earth (21:1). "The elements will melt with fervent heat" (2 Pet. 3:10). All traces of sin that once existed are gone forever. The earth becomes a total Garden of Eden, and there is no more sea.

(3) The New Jerusalem (21 :2). The new Holy City comes down from God out of heaven (21 :9-23). Some Bible students get confused when they read that the Holy City is the wife of the Lamb. The marriage supper is over and the Lord Jesus brings down from heaven the bride's future eternal home. This eternal home for the church, the bride, was "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (21 :2). This magnificent city is not the wife of the Lamb until the Lamb brings his bride over the threshold into this eternal city of gold. "I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-3). This is the New Jerusalem that Jesus, after His resurrection, promised He would prepare for His bride.

(4) The new nations (21 :24). These nations are the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, plus the saved from the antediluvian period, as well as all the saved Jews and Gentiles from the Tribulation and millennial kingdom. These inherit the earth. There is no need for sun or moon, because the presence of God's glory is the light of the new world. Everyone comes to the New Jerusalem to worship and serve the Lamb (22:3-5).

(5) The new river (22:1). There is no way to compare this "river of water of life" with the rivers and streams of this sin-cursed world. Fallen man has polluted the water of this world. We have nothing to compare with this crystal-clear, pure river of life that flows out to the nations of the world.

(6) The new Tree of Life (22:2). This tree bears twelve kinds of fruit twelve times a year, and grows on each side of the river of life. The bride of Christ and the nations of the world drink from this river and eat the fruit of the Tree of Life. This is the same tree that God planted in the Garden of Eden. When man sinned, God placed "cherubim ... and a flaming sword" (Gen. 3:24, page 7) to keep Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever in their fallen nature. But in the new Eden all the nations and the bride have access to the life-giving waters, as well as the Tree of Life which produces fruit beyond anything that man can imagine. The leaves are for the healing of the nations. There will be no sin or sickness in heaven.

(7) The new throne (22:3-7). There is no new temple because God reigns upon His new throne in the New Jerusalem, to be worshiped and served by the nations and the angelic host that are in His presence continually. The bride and the nations never get tired.

We may close the seven sevens of Revelation with John's prayer, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus! "

Note:  This is the end of these studies from the Book of Revelation.  I trust that you have been blessed by each one of them.  We will continue this page next month with another theme.  James A. Nelson, editor

Evangelist James A. Nelson also publishes a monthly Spanish magazine "Hojas de Oro" which is available at: jan23@cox.net   or can be seen at:   www.hojasdeoro.com

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