The Great Tribulation - Part 4

The destruction of the earth comes with the seven trumpets sound of seven angels. But my previous message ends with the trumpet of the sixth angel. There is a reason for this. Before the seventh angel sounds the seven trumpet, there is another interruption. Chapter 10 of Revelation records this interruption - the parenthetical things that will happen before the judgment of the seven bowls begins with the trumpet of the seventh angel. During this interruption, John receives a message from a mighty angel who will present him with a little book. This angel won't tell John what the seventh trumpet judgment is, but he will tell him what it will do. The results are recorded in Rev. 11 and 12.

The Mighty Angel (Rev. 10:1 - 3)

"I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his feft foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices" (Rev. 10:1 -3, emphasis added).

An angel clothed with a cloud (Rev. 10:1)

John saw a mighty angel in Rev. 5:2. Now we read that he saw another mighty angel. We do no know the identity of this angel, but we do know that he will have great authority. This mighty angel will be clothed in a cloud. In the Bible, clouds have been associated with at least two things: the presence of God and the return of Jesus. God came down on Mount Sinai in a cloud (Ex. 24:15, 16) and led the children of Israel with a pillar of cloud (Ex. 13:21). Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9) and will return in a cloud (Luke 21:27). This mighty angel's clothing could be a reminder that he will be a messenger from God, or it could also be a reminder that Jesus will be returning soon.

An angel with one foot on the sea and the other on the land (Rev. 10:2)

This mighty angel will carry a small open book in his hand. While he is holding it, he will plant his right foot on the sea and his left foot on dry land. He stakes a claim in the name of his King, because the earth is ths Lord's (1 Cor. 10:26).

An angel speaks with a loud voice (Rev. 10:3)

The voice of this mighty angel will be as when a lion roars. His voice is like the voice of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. At the same time he speaks, a voice in heaven will roar like seven thunders. The seven thunders is symbolic for the voice of God (Job 37:4).

From the above description, this Might Angel must be our Lord, Jesus Christ!

A Voce from heaven (Rev. 10:4 - 6)

"Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.' The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer" (Rev. 10:4 - 6, emphasis added).

God will make an emphatic remard in His voice of seven thunders that even John will be able to hear and understand because he will start to write it down. We are not told why John was prevented from recording this mysterious message, but he heard and know much more than he was allowed to reveal. We need to understand the thunder is also a symbol of God's wrath, and that what He utters will probably be followed up with divine judgment.

Just as a witness raises his right hand to take the oath to tell the whole truth in a courtroom, this angel will also raise his hand toward heaven to swear to tell God's truth and that there should be no more delay. When the time comes for the seventh angel to sound the seventh trumpet, God will complete His plan.

It will be the answer the martyred Tribulation saints have been waiting for. God will no longer delay His vengeance for their persecution and death. To the believers on earth who have been running, hiding, and waiting, these words will mean they will no longer have to wait for God to move against the wicked. And to the unbelievers on earth, they will mean God is now going to fulfill His wrath with no more delay.

This message should be a word of consolation to the saved and a word of terror to the lost. In a moment, the awesome, final judgments of God will start falling, and nothing will stop them.

The Mystery of God would be finished (Rev. 10:7)

"But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servents the prophets" (Rev. 10:7, emphasis added).

Jesus has now opened all seven seals, and six of the angels have sounded their tumpets. The last trumpet will bring the seven bowl judgments. But before the seventh angel blows his trumpet, a voice from heaven will declare, the mystery of God will be accomplished (finished), just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Daniel also wrote of a word of mystery:

"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy" (Daniel 9:24).

There are many mysteries that cannot be understood today: Why did God allow Satan to creep into the Garden of Eden? Why did God allow Adam and Eve to fail? why did sin enter this world? since these are mysteries of God, we cannot know them now.

When the seventh angel sounds the trumpet, however, the judgment of the seven bowls comes, leading to the end of the world. Then comes the millennial reign of the Lord, during which He will disclose everthing plainly!

The Little Scroll (Rev. 10:8 - 11)

"Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, 'Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.' So I went to the angel and said to him, 'Give me the little book.' And he said to me, 'Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.' Then I toook the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. and he said to me, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings'" (Rev. 10:8 -11).

What is this little scroll and what is in it? The answer appears in Rev. 10:11. This little scroll told the things that will happen during the second three and one-half years. The same voice of the seven thunders tells John to go and take the open book (scroll) out of the mighty angel's hand and eat it.

Eating the Words of God is not new to the Bible. In the Old Testament we find similar cases in which the prophet was told to eat a scroll before he received the Word of God. Ezekiel ate a scroll from God (Ezek. 3:1 - 3). In the same manner Jesus told John to eat this scroll that he might prophesy.

The instruction to eat the little scroll will come with a warning that the Word of God will taste sweet but will turn bitter once digested. Leaning the Word of God with its plans and mysteries can be enjoyable and exciting, but understading the reality of its judgments is sickening. Isn't it sweet to know that Satan will soon be bound and chained, but bitter to contemplate what people will go through beforehand? Isn't it sweet to know that final victory is assured, but bitter to contemplate the plagues, pain, loss of life, and eternal destiny of the lost? It was pleasant for John to receive the message from God, but painful for him to contemplate the steps toward fulfillment.

When John was told to eat the book, he was also given a commission from God. He was told to prophesy about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. This was his great privilege, his great calling, and his great responsibilty.

The Trumpet of the Seventh Angel (Rev. 11:1 - 19)

Measuring the Temple (Rev. 11:1)

"Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, 'Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. ..." (Rev. 11:1, 2).

As we move into the second half of the Great Tribulation, the first scene is of John measuring the Jews' temple and altar and counting the worshippers there.

Why such a starting point? I believe in this second part of the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will fight his life-and-death struggle with the Jews. During the first three and one-half years he will be on peaceful terms with them. He helps them and even builds the temple for them. However, in the second half of the Great Tribulation, Satan, who was driven out of heaven, enters into the heart of the Antichrist. As a result he breaks the seven-year treaty in the middle and begins a war to annihilate the Jews. Therefore the temple is very significant during that period.

Histroy tells us that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed when Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70. The Jews rose in revolt against the tyranny of Rome, but Jerusalem was besieged and burned by the Roman general Titus. Many instruments made of gold, used for sacrifice in the temple, were burned in this fire, and the gold melting into the crevices of the stones. In their search for the hidden, the Roman soldiers left no stone unturned, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24:2.

In the place where the temple previously stood, the Muslims built their own mosque, the Dome of the Rock, between A.D. 687 and 691. Believing it to be the site from which their prophet Mohammed was taken up into heaven, they have made it their second most holy place.

During the Six-Day War of 1967 Israel captured from Jordan the old part of Jerusalem where the mosque stands. Today Israel has finished preparations to rebuild the temple and is ready to start at any time. It is the burning desire of the Jews to build a temple there on Mount Moriah.


But the Jews, who cannot even go near the present mosque, will surely start a war with the Muslims when they begin to tear it down to make room for their temple. They will only succeed with the help of a unified Europe.


In the second half of the Great Tribulation God will try those Jewish people with fire who do not believe in Jesus Christ, choosing rather to reject Him. After that God will measure the sincerity of their faith. He will shelter those who worship Him in the temple and at the altar, according to the meaure of their faith. He will cast away others - those who are outside the temple.


Among the Jews today are pious people who fervently worship the Lord through Judaism. But there are also others who ridicule Judaism, denying the existence of God. In order to separate those two types of people, John measured the temple and the altar and counted the worshippers with a rod-like reed.


The Outer Court (Rev. 11:2)


However, the Lord told John not to measure the court outside the temple (read Rev. 11:2). That means God will save only those pious whorshippers inside the temple. As for those on the outside, in the temple court, God will abandon them into the hands of the Antichrist for 42 months (three and one-half years), whether they are Jews or Gentiles.


The Antichrist has been making preparation for his rule of the world in the first three and one-half years. Now he will change his shape into a beast and for the following three and one-half years rule the world with full authority. He will break his seven-year treaty he had made with Israel and set up his own idol-image in the altar of the temple, forcing the Jews to worship it. This is foretold in Daniel 9:27. Jesus also warned of this in Matt. 24:15, 16.


Since devout Jews will worship only God, not idols, they will, of course, resist. Inevitably, a bloody massacre will ensue.


After measuring the temple and altar and counting those who worship there, God will move everyone obedient to His will the shelter. This scene soon appears.


The Two Witnesses (Rev. 11:3 - 13)


Two witnesses, clothed in sackcloth, appear and will prophesy 1,260 days (three and one-half years) during the second part of the Great Tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish preachers sealed by God have been taken up into heaven. In their place, God sends two witnesses to come and prophesy. Read Rev. 11:3 - 13 carefully you will understand they were given supernatural power to bear witness for Christ and the imminent judgment of God. The Antichrist (the Beast) hates them and then kills them (Verse 7). By this time these two witnesses will have fulfulled their mission.


The Antichrist then throws their bodies into the streets of Jerusalem (Verse 8). All the world's people congratulate themselves for the death of the two witnesses and refuse to let their bodies to be placed in a tomb (Verse 9). The people send gifts one to another and make merry. The two witnesses had harshly rebuked them and brought a judgment of drought because of their wickedness, so it is with great joy that they celebrate their deaths (Verse 10).


However, "after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet." Then a loud voice from heaven speaks: "Come up here." They ascend to heaven before everyone's eyes, causing everyone to be very frightened (read Rev. 11:11, 12).


From the above narration, I believe the two witnesses were Moses and Elijah, who comforted Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (read Luke 9:28). When the children of Israel became depraved and worshipped idols during the time of King Ahab, Elijah prayed to God that it might not rain, and God shut the door of heaven for three and one-half years. The two witnesses did the same (Verse 6).


The Bible says Elijah did not see death but was caught up into heaven (read 2 Kings 2:1 - 11). Although it was known that Moses climbed Mount Nebo to die, his body was never found.


Therefore the two witnesses are unmistakable Moses and Elijah. God sends them again in the flesh to this world to witness of Jesus Christ, showing His love and mercy in order to deliver on more soul from hell. That is the grace and mercy of God!


My next messag deals with the "Trumpet of the Seventh Angel" and the subsequent judgments of God.

The Great Tribulation - Part 3

My previous message ends with the prayers of the saints concerning avenging the martyred saints answered. Now God reveals to John the destruction of the earth and its inhabitants. This comes with the seven trumpets sound of seven angels.

The Trumpet of the First Angel (Rev. 8:7)

"The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up" (Rev. 8:7, emphasis added).

When the seventh seal is opened, the first angel sounds the first trumpet. The scene will unfold in the first half the Great Tribulation. The above description of the destruction of the earth is almost unimaginable in John's time.

However, we can now speculate that in all probability John was describing the effects of a nuclear bomb. Today, such a weapon can devastate a wide area, burning all the trees and grass in its way. When an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945, there was a sudden downpour of hail. That happened because the air heated by the explosion went up with the vapor, and as it was cooled in the high altitude of the atmosphere, it turned into hail and fell to the earth. To John, the explosion of numerous nuclear bombs might well have looked like "hail and fire mingled with blood."

I conclude, therefore, that this Verse shows that a devastating nuclear war will occur during the first half of the Great Tribulation. God will judge this world through human hands. At present, the United States, Russia, France, China, India and others are all manufacturing and stockpiling nuclear weapons. The day will come when they will use them. We must remember that since human history began, mankind has never made a weapon it did not use. Enough nuclear bombs have already been made to destroy the earth several times.

The buring of one-third of the earth's vegetation will also cause food shortages. Moreover, the destruction of the third part of the trees will greatly damage air quality, since trees purify air by turning cardon dioxide into oxygen.

Air pollution is already a major problem in the world today. How much more of a problem will it be then?

The Trumpet of the Second Angel (Rev. 8:8, 9)

"Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third to the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed" (Rev. 8:8, 9, emphasis added).

The trumpet will signal judgment upon the sea. It reminds us of the first plague on the Egypt in the days of Moses, which turned the waters into blood.

Pay close attention to the wording in this verse. It does not say a burning mountain will be thrown into the sea. It says, "Something like a great mountain burning with fire will be thrown into the sea." Some think it will be a nuclear missile. Others think it will be a burning meteor. Whatever it is, it will be a big, blazing, and cause the sea to turn into blood. It will kill one-third of sea life and destroy one-third of the ships. Those who depend upon the sea for jobs, food, defense, or cargo transport will suffer. As a result of the "mountain" hitting the sea, it is likely that everything close to the sea will probably be damgaed by the great tidal wave.

The Trumpet of the Third Angel (Rev. 8:10, 11)

"Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter" (Rev. 8:10, 11, emphasis added).

According to John, the great blazing object that fell from heaven was a great star named Wormwood. Wormwood is an aromatic but poisonous plant or herb which yields bitter, dark green oil. It will contaminate one-third of earth's fresh water supply, causing many people to die from drinking the tainted water.

My guess is that the "great star" was a biological bomb, because the water was polluted, and everyone who drank the water died. This also will happen in the first half of the Great Tribulation, when the Arab nations, backed by Russia, war against Israel and the league of European nations.

The Trumpet of the Fourth Angel (Rev. 8:12)

"Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night" (Rev. 8:12).

When the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, a third of the sun, moon and stars turned dark. A third of the day and night were without light. How could this happen?

It is possible that a nuclear war breaks out, burning up a third of all the trees in the world and destroying one-third of all ships, the dust arising from the nuclear explosions would sweep over the earth, and the earth would become darkened.

I believe it is not conincidence that Pagan religions worship these objects - sun, moon and stars. Astrologers, fortune tellers, and witches rely on them to predict the future. Surely these people are ripe for the judgment of God! Thus, the focus of Revelation 8 is on the destruction of the natural environment by the first four angels.

The warning of an angel (Rev. 8:13)

"And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'" (Rev. 8:13, emphasis added).

Before the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, another angel appeared and crying out with a loud voice in order to give warning about the remaining three dreadful judgments. Who or what is the angel we are not told. But we are told that this angel will fly through the air pronouncing three woes upon the inhabitants of the earth. These three woes correspond to the last three trumpets. Some even call them the "trumpet woes." It is hard to imagine, but these woes will be worse than any judgment previously mentioned.

The Trumpet of the Fifth Angel (Rev. 9:1 - 11)

1. A star fallen from heaven to earth (Rev. 9:1, 2)




"Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit" (Rev. 9:1, 2 emphasis added).

This is not a literal star. This is not even a star that will fall, but one that has already fallen - Lucifer or Satan. Rev. 9:2 refers to this star as "he."

Isaiah said, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground" (Isaiah 14:12)?

Satan will be cast down indeed. He will be given the key to the bottomless pit - a place of torment where the worst of his demonic spirits are held and from where the Antichrist will come forth. Satan will descend and open the bottomless pit. When he does, a thick black smoke will ruch out, covering the earth in darkness. The sky will be blackened, and the sun will be obscured.


2. Locusts will come (Rev. 9:3, 4)

"Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the sorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Rev. 9:3, 4).

Locusts will come out of the smoke, but not locusts as we know them. They will not be short-horned grasshoppers that have plagued people around the world. Instead, they will have horrible features - part animal and part human (Rev. 9:7, 8). They are intelligent and totally under God's control. They will harm only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads - only the 144,000 Jews have the seal of God.

3. Locust's deadly torment (Rev. 9:5, 6)

"And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment ws like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire the die, and death will flee from them" (Rev. 9:5, 6).

These locusts will not kill but only torture for a period not to exceed five months. They will be the masters of suffering by inflicting pain similar to a scorpion's sting. God could let them kill, but He somethimes uses suffering to bring people to salvation through Jesus. God could let the torture last for more than five months, but His grace will restrain it.

During these five months of the Great Tribulation period, people will hurt so much they will want to die. Because of this torture, many will try to commit suicide, but God will not let them find death to end their suffering.


4. Demon-possessed locusts - a form of evil spirit (Rev. 9:7 - 10)


"The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the face of men. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. And they had breastplates like brestplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their powere was to hurt men five months" (Rev. 9:7 - 10).


The appearance of evil spirits symbolized as locusts is so ghastly that it surpasses our imagination!


5. The army of demons (Rev. 9:11, 12)


"And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things" (Rev. 9:11, 12).


This army of demonic locust will be under the direction of a satanic angelic king, possibly one of Satan's powerful henchmen. His Hebrew name will be Abaddon, meaning "destruction," and his Greek name Apollyon, meaning "destroyer." Since his name is given in both Hebrew and Greek, he will probably be permitted to attack both Jews and Gentiles alike. His name is given twice, so it is a double warning of his destructive power.


Rev. 9:12 is further proof that Revelation is sequence-oriented. The trumpet woes will not overlap. They will come in sequence. It is obvious why the angel called them woes - tormented people, losing their minds and begging to die.


The Trumpet of the Sixth Angel (Rev. 9:12 - 21)


When the sixth angel sounded the trumpet, John heard a voice saying, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." (Rev. 9:14, emphasis added).


The Euphrates divided the east from the west. This river basin has been a land of rebellion from the beginning of time. This river is a branch of the river originating in the Garden of Eden, where Adam sinned (read Gen. 2:14).


The first rebellion against God took place there, and it was also the place where Cain, the first murderer, killed his brother, Abel. Moreover, the tower of Babel, that prominent symbol of human rebellion against God, was also built in a place near this river. Idolatrous Babylon was situated along this river. Thus, the valley of the Euphrates has been a place of wicked rebellion against God since the beginning of the world.


Who are these four angels? The fact that they are bound indicates that they are four more fallen angels. Why they fell and are bound we are not told, but they appeared to be powerful cohorts of Satan who may have had a part in the many sins committed along the Euphrates.


God bound these four angels at the Euphrates at some point. When they are loosed during the first half of the Great Tribulation, they are to kill one-third of the world population (read Rev. 9:15). When the fourth seal is opened, one-forth of the world population (about 1:7 billion people) will die. When one-third of that remaining population is killed, another 1.5 billion will die. Therefore, during the short period of three and one-half years, more that half (about 3.4 billion) the population of the world will die. Imagine how severe the Great Tribulation will be! Blessed are the saints who are caught up into heaven before such a Great Tribulation starts!


Those four angels cannot kill at any time they choose, however. The hour, the day, the month and the year have already fixed (read 9:15).


An army of two hundred million


"Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone" (Rev. 9:16, 17).


The only country in the world that can mobilize so great an army is China. Rev. 9:17 is a description of modern warfare. That sounds today like tanks firing their guns, flame-throwers hurling flames, and nuclear bombs being dropped from the air. By these weapons a third of the earth's people are killed (Rev. 9:18). Nevertheless people do not repent of their sins (read Rev. 9:20, 21). Why does the Bible mention this? I believe it is to show that God is still waiting for their repentance and conversions. If God thought them hopeless, there would be no need to mention it.

The Great Tribulation - Part 2

Between the sixth seal and the seventh seal, a parenthetical scene appears, and we see God sealing those preachers who will deliver the remaining people on earth during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

Four angels holding back the wind (Rev. 7:1)

"After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, or the sea, or on any tree" (Rev. 7:1, NKJV).

After the first six seals are opened, four angels will stand at the earth's four corners to prevent any wind from blowing. This does not mean the earth will become square. It simply a symbolic expression meaning the angels will be standing at the four points of the compass: north, south, east, and west. They will control the winds of the earth. The wind signifies war, and God commanded that angels in charge of the war to suspend it until all the preachers of the gospel be sealed on their foreheads (Rev. 7:2, 3).

The sealing mentioned here is not the same as the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Our being drawn today to faith in Jesus and to salvation is done by the invisible sealing of the Holy Spirit upon our souls. In that day, however, God's sealing on the forheads of His servants will be visible to everyone. Later Satan will also seal those who follow the Antichrist with the number 666 on their foreheads or hands.

The sealing of the preachers of the gospel (Rev. 7:2 - 8)

The angel from the east

"Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ..." (Rev. 7:2).

We are not told who this angel from the east is, but we are told that he will have authority over the other four angels. The four angels will have the power to harm the earth and sea, but just before they unleash their great power, the angel from the east will intercede with a loud voice and stop them from harming the earth, the sea, or the trees until they have sealed the servants (preachers) of the gospel (Rev. 7:3).

Those who are sealed are all Jews

Those sealed are the preachers of the gospel who will deliver the remnants of God during the first half of the Great Tribulation. Furthermore, Rev 7:4 - 8 tell us they are all Jews - 144,000 out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

Why are the tribe of Dan omitted and the tribe o Manasseh included instead? There is a definite reason for that:

1 Kings 12:25 - 30 describes how idolatry was committed in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam, its first king, made two golden calves and set one in Dan and the other in Bethel, the hill country of Ephraim. Both the tribes of Dan and Ephraim worshipped the calves. God had said earlier that He would blot out the names of those who serve other gods from under the heaven (read Deut. 29:18 - 20). Therefore, the name of Dan was omitted from the list of the twelve tribes of Israel and replaced by the tribe of Manasseh, who was the firstborn of Joseph.

Today there are many heretics who deceive people using the number 144,000. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that only 144,000 people, who are their members, will go to heaven. However, Rev. 7:4 - 8 clearly state that 144,000 will come from the twelve thribes of Israel, which exclude all Gentiles.

The purpose of the 144,000 Jewish preachers

The 144,000 are the Jewish preachers who will gleam the remaining souls in the first half of the Great Tribulation. Why does God choose them for that purpose?

Those who preached the gospel first were Jews. Those who recorded the Bible were also Jews. And it is only right that our Lord would again use His chosen people as those who would complete His kingdom.

These 144,000 Jews are like the 7,000 people God preserved during the time of Elijah (1 Kings 19:18); they did not bow their knees to Baal but kept their faith in God to the very end. The end-time Jews will have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and entered into salvation. God will seal them for His use as preachers of the gospel, and they will preach it everywhere during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

A great multitude of people who will be saved (Rev. 7:9 - 14)

The 144,000 Jewish preachers will present the gospel so diligently, even sacrificing their lives, that the people who are saved out of all nations and the people cannot be numbered. As John saw them, they are "standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).

One of the elders told John, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).

This great multitude before the throne of God will come out of the Great Tribulation. They will be saved people. Their white robes are proof that they are washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and the palm branches they hold are tokens that they overcame the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. However, the martyrs, as we saw in Revelation 6, were lying flat under the altar. Therefore this great multitude of people standing around the throne did not pass through martyrdom.

The important point for us is that those who rely on the precious blood of Jesus will be saved even in the midst of the Great Tribulation. We must witness diligently for Christ. Even if people do not believe now, they may believe and go to heaven when they are exhorted by the 144,000 preachers.

I notice that when most prophetic Bible teachers talk about the "Great Tribulation," they are talking about the last three and one-half years of the seven-year period. But in Rev.7:14, the term refers to all those who have come out of the entire seven-year Great Tribulation.

What is implied by the great multitude who are saved (Rev. 7:15 - 17)

"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them" (Rev. 7:15).

This is a very special promise. On earth, during the Great Tribulation, the saved will not be safe anywhere. They will either starve, die of disease, or be murdered. There will be no way to escape the clutches of the Antichrist. Suddenly, they will find themselves in the throne room of God, face-to-face with Jesus, surrounded by angels, clothed in white robes, and protected by God.

They will not sit on the throne. They will stand before the throne and give praise to God, waving the palm branches in their hands. They do not wear crowns, nor do they receive rewards, because they did not believe early according to faith. The saints (like all of us) who were already saved before the Great Tribulation, however, receive golden crowns as their rewards.

When God dwells among the saints of the Tribulation, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat (read Rev. 7:16). Because those people went through so much hunger and thirst, God will not make them suffer any longer. From this we can imagine how much pain they suffer from the Antichrist: "... for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17).

The Seventh Seal


"When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets" (Rev. 8:1, 2).


When this seal is brokem, the scroll will be completely open. Nothing will remain to restrain the carrying out of the remaining judgments. Before they can begin, though, there will be silence in heaven for about a half hour.


The flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder coming from the throne of God will cease. The four living creatures will cease their talk about the holiness of God. The twenty-four elders will suspend their declarations about the worthiness of the Lamb. The heavenly hosts will stop their singing, and the Tribulation saints will cease their praise. An eerie, foreboding silence will move across heaven. Everyone will wait in anticipation of what is to come next. Will people be given time to repent? Will God destroy the earth? Something will be on the horizon - something of tremendous importance!


Even while God executes judgment, He still wants human beings to repent and be gleaned into the salvation of eternal life, freed from the snare of the Devil. That is why God waits silently for half an hour. It is a chance for people to throw themselves on His mercy and avoid the approaching judgment that will begin with the opening of the seven seal.


Out of all the angels in heaven, only seven particular angels constantly stand in the presence of God. They are most commonly known as archangels, but some call them the angels of the Presence. Anyway, each of them was given a trumpet.


The eighth angel - one having a golden censer


"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne" (Rev. 8:3, emphasis added).


After the silence of half an hour, the seven angels stand, with each one holding a trumpet. One angel comes with a golden censer full of incense and offers the incense on the altar of God.


In Old Testament times Solomon's temple contained the holy place and, behind a curtain, the holy of holies. entrance to the holy place was restricted to the high priest alone, and even he could enter the holy of holies only once a year, and that not without blood. The holy of holies is where God dwells.


John saw there an angel who was about to offer incense. Who is this angel? Since angels do not have the priesthood, none of them can become the high priest. The priesthood was reserved for Aaron and his descendants. There is another person, however, who has become a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He is Jesus Christ, our high priest (read Heb. 7:20 - 22). Therefore I believe it is Jesus who offers the incense from the golden censer on the altar of God.


The incense Jesus received was offered with the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:3, 4). As our hign priest, Jesus still carries out the work of receiving prayers of the saints and offering them on the altar of God. As the hight priest who offers sacrifice for us, He also never stops praying for us.


You may be wondering what is meant by the prayers of all the saints, if the saints are already in heaven. One thing you must know for sure is that saints pray not only when they are on earth, but also when they are in heaven. The Bible clearly calls us "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). And since part of the job of priests is to intercede for others, we will pray all the more while we are in heaven. Threrfore the saints in heaven are praying for the salvation of more souls on the earth, and the remaining souls on earth pray that they may be gleaned into salvation. To those prayers is added the intercessory prayer of Jesus, and thus the golden censer becomes full of the incense of prayers.


Prayers of the saints consumed (answered)


"Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound" (Rev. 8:5, 6).


The next scene shows that the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar and hurled it onto the earth, followed by peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. That means Jesus receives our prayers, offers them to God and, as the high priest who prays for us, receives an answer from the Father and brings it to the world.


Once the burning censer has hit the earth, the seven angels (or more correctly, archangels) will prepare to sound their trumpets. The prayers of the saints will be heard, and the whole world will be ripe for judgment. God's wrath will be kindled to unleash the next set of judgments, and the seven angels will prepare to sound the alarm.


From this point God will avenge the martyred saints. Therefore we must not stop praying, for our prayers surely turn into incense as they ascend before His throne and His answers come down and are fulfilled in our lives.

The Great Tribulation - Part 1

At the beginning of my earlier message - "The Church Age - Part 1" I referred to what John heard from the Lord:

"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (Rev. 1:19).

So far we have studied "The things which you have seen" - corresponds to Chapter 1 of the book of Revelation and "the things which are" - corresponds to the "Church Age" in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. "The things which will take place after this," which corresponds to the remaining Chapters - (Chapter 4 to Chapter 22), will be my forthcoming messages.

We have already studied Chapter 4 and 5 of the book of Revelation in my messages - "The Rapture and the Throne of God" and "The Seven-sealed Scroll" respectively. Now the Great Tribulation starts in Chapter 6, where our Lord opens the first seal in the scroll that has seven seals.

Many Bible teachers said the period of the Great Tribulation will last seven years. Where in the Bible do we see that time frame give, since the exact words, "seven years of tribulation" are not found anywhere in the Sripture? The answer is found in the book of Daniel, to which the book of Revelation is closely related. A deeper and clearer understanding can be found by interpreting them together.

Daniel's Seventy Weeks

Daniel was one of the Jews taken captive to Babylon when the kingdom of Judah fell in 605 B.C.. While reading the book of Jeremiah there, he came across the prophecy that said Israel would return home after seventy years. To know exactly when that would happen, he prayed earnestly to God. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and showed him in detail not only the return of Israel to its land, but also what would happen from then to the end of the world. Please read Daniel 9:24 - 27.

The angel Gabriel came and told Daniel that seventy weeks would be determined upon "your people," the people of Judah, and "your holy city," Jerusalem. Since one week in the Bible signifies seven years, seventy weeks is 490 years.

Therefore the prophecy meant that after 490 years had passed, the transgression would be finished, sins would end, reconciliation for inequity would be made forever, everlasting righteousness would be brought in, all the visions and prophecies would come to pass, and the most Holy - the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ - would come to redeem the world.

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ..." (Verse 25, emphasis added).

Our Lord Jesus Christ was referred to as "the Prince." Gabriel said that from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks (total of 69 weeks). And on March 14, 445 years before Jesus was born, King Artaxerxes of Persia gave an order to restore Jerusalem.

As a result, some of the children of Israel who had been carried away to Babylon as captives returned home. On April 6, A.D. 32, 69 weeks or 484 years after that, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, so the prophecy was fulfilled precisely - this includes leap years!

"The he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate" (Verse 27, emphasis added).

Notice that "he" mentioned in verse 27 refers the Antichrist (probably a Roman emperor). He will confirm the covenant with many Jews for seven year. However, in the middle of that period, after three and one-half years (the middle of the week), he will break the covenant and cause the worship of the Jew to cease. Thus, during the first part of the Great Tribulation the persecution will be less intense.

During the second three and one-half years, the Antichrist will completely break the covenant with the Jews. He will enter the temple and claim to be the king. This will be the period of severe tribulation, but "that which is determined" (some Bible teachers named it as "God's wrath") will be poured upon the Antichrist and his followers - "the desolate."

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Verse 26).

In Daniel 9:26 is a prophecy about what would happen during the Church Age after the resurrection of Jesus. A Roman general named Titus came with his army and destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, fulfilling the part of the prophecy saying, "the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:26). At the end of the Church Age, which has so far lasted slightly more than 2000 years, the Antichrist will appear and begin the Great Tribulation.

Daniel 9 has deeper theological implications that go beyong the scope of this message, but I trust you can see now why Bible scholars conclude the Great Tribulation will be seven years long. It will be the last period in which God exhorts the Jews, His chosen people, to repent. For the Gentiles it will be a period in which they betray Jesus Christ and go through torment and destruction to the end. Let us look now at what will happen during the Great Tribulation.

The opening of the Seven Seals (Rev. 6:1 - 17)

The first seal: The conqueror riding on the white horse (Rev. 6:1, 2)

As John in the Spirit watched these future events unfold, Jesus opened the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living creatures, with a voice like thunder, said to John, "Come and see."

The "counqueror" was not Jesus but the Antichrist:

It is easy to make the mistake of interpreting this figure riding on a white horse to be Jesus. The Great Tribulation had already begun, however, and Jesus was in heaven, opeing the first seal. Therefore to suppose that Jesus rode on a white horse "went out conquering and to conquer" (Verse 2) doesn't fit the time sequence, nor it is acceptable from a logical point of view. There are several reasons this must take place at the outset of the Great Tribulation:

1. The Church has already been carried into heaven. Jesus works through the Church and the Holy Spirit, but as we saw in Revelation 4, the Church has already gone through the open door of heaven, accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Hence, the age of grace, the Church age, has ended. Therefore, to interpret Rev. 6:2 as saying Jesus appears again, riding on a white horse and preaching the gospel - "conquering, and to conquer," at the beginning of the Great Tribulation is not reasonable chronologically.

2. The man on a white horse goes forth conquering with a bow, but Jesus clearly identified in Revelation 19 as fighting with a sword that comes out of His mouth (Read Rev. 19:15).

3. Revelation 19:12 says that on the head of Jesus, the King of kings, were many crowns. The man who rides on a white horse wears only one crown.

4. Jesus has already won the victory and will come next to earth to judge. He wrote to the Church in Loadicea: "To him who overcomes I will grat to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21).

Therefore he who rode on a white is not Jesus.

Who then is riding on a white horse? None other than the Antichrise, disguising himself as Jesus Christ, falsely claiming he is the messiah who will bring peace and prosperity to the world. The title "Antichrist" is put on him because he pretends to be Christ. For that purpose he rides a white horse (which symbolizes purity and victory), wears a crown and has a bow in his hand to conquer.

The second seal and the red horse (Rev. 6:3, 4)

When the Lamb of God opened the second seal, John saw a red horse coming, "And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword" (Verse 4).

The red horse symbolizes war and blood. War takes place when peace is taken away. I believe the red hourse also signifies communism, which is symbolized by the color red.

The third seal and the black horse (Rev. 6:5, 6)

When the third seal was opened, John saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hands. This is a time of great famine. The shortage of food is so severe that its sale will be rationed by being weighed in the balance - "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; do not harm the oil and the wine" (Verse 6).

Famine and economic ruin are always the aftermath of war. During the war, resources are consumed by the war effort, as are available workers, and industrial facilities are destroyed.

The rider of the black horse is forbidden, however, to harm the oil and the wine. Why? I believe it is because olive oil and wine are precious things used for sacrifices to God. But apart from them there will be a dreadful famine and economic devastation.

The fourth seal and the Pale horse (Rev. 6:7,8)

The mention of the horse's color makes us shudder - "So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (Verse 8).


It is obvious from this account that both Death and Hades were revealed to John as being persons. Only a person could sit on a horse, and only another person could follow along with this first one.

In one sense death is a state or condition. It is the cessation of life, the experience which results in the separation of the spirit from the body. However Death is also a person. Death is the dark angel, the minister of Satan who claims the spirit of every unrighteous person that is separated from his body when he dies.


A similar truth applies also to Hades. In one sense Hades is a place of confinement for departed spirits. In another sense, however, Hades is a person. Hades, like Death, is a dark angel, a minister of Satan, following close upon the heels of Death. Hades take charge of the spirits of the unrighteous which have been claimed by Death and conducts them to the realm of departed spirits from which he receives his name - that is, Hades.


John saw Death and Hades moving among men in that order: first Death, claiming the departing spirit, then Hades, taking thme to their prison in the lower world.


John saw that, "Power was given to them (Death and Hades) over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (Verse 8).


Since the population of the world is now 6.77 billion (as at April, 2009), one-fourth is 1.69 billion people. During the first three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation, nearly 1.7 billion will die on account of war (ssword), famine and other disasters!


The fifth seal and the martyrs (Rev. 6:9 - 11)


When Jesus opened the fifth seal, John saw "under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held" (Verse 9, emphasis added).


These are the people who became martyrs during the first three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation. They are said to be "under the altar." Since the altar is the place where sacrifices are offered, they are there as a sacrifice offered to God. They weep bitterly and plead to God that He will take His revenge quickly. If they had earlier believed in Jesus Christ and been caught up into heaven (raptured), how much better it would have been for them!


But then Jesus gives them white robes. Those are given to comfort them. And Jesus tells them they should rest yet for a little while until their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Verse 11).


Here we find that God continues His work of salvation even while the Great Tribulation is going on, like a farmer gleaning ears of grain, because if one more soul can be saved, God wills to do it! That is the love of God!


The sixth seal and the disasters in nature (Rev. 6:12 - 17)


As soon as the sixth seal is opened, fearful things will happen on the earth and in heaven. A great earthquake will take place, the sky will become pitch black with volcanic ash, and the moon will become red due to the ash and dust (read Verse 12). The sky will be rolled together like a scroll (read Verse 14). So severe will the earthquake be that every mountain and island will be moved out of its place, and the stars will fall out of the sky (read Verse 13).


When such phenomena occur, everyone from kings to slaves will hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains They will cry to those mountains and rocks: "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand" (Verse 16, 17)?


Notice that in spite of such terrible happenings, those people still do not repent to God but pray to the rocks and stones. People are so foolish! God wants to deliver the, but they would not repent. What a heartbreaking scene that will be!


Six seals have been opened thus far. Between the sixth seal and the seventh, a parenthetical scene appears, and we see God sealing those preachers who will deliver the remaining people on earth during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

The Seven-sealed Scroll

My last message - "The Rapture and the Throne of God" ends with heavenly worship of the now glorified Church. We are now going to study Revelation 5 where the scene changes from heavenly worship to the preparation for the Great Tribulation and the judgment of God.

The importance of the seven-sealed scroll (Rev. 5:1, 2)

"And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?' And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it" (Rev. 5:1 -3, NKJV).

John was still in heaven and beside God's Throne at the opening of Revelation 5. He saw a scroll in God's right hand that was sealed seven times with writing on both sides. Whatever this scroll was, there was no doubt that it was important. We can guess the importance of the sealed scroll from the way its need to be opened was proclaimed and from John's weeping (Rev. 5:4) because there was no one worthy to do the job.

John also saw a "strong angel." What made this angel appear to be stong is not revealed, but he had the authority to speak in the presence of God. We do not know who this angel is, but because the name "Gabriel" means "strength of God" in Greek, some believe he is indeed the archangel Gabriel.

This scroll was a title-deed. In Old Testament times God gave this commandment to the children of Israel concerning the land they would possess in Canaan:

"The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold" (Lev. 25:23 - 25).

If a person bought a piece of land from his neighbor, that land became his possession. However, if the closest relative of the original owner came and wanted to repurchase the land, the present owner had to accept that claim no matter how much he desired to keep the land. This law was called, "The redemption of the land."

The title-deed to ownership of this earth

What kind of scroll (title-deed) was the scroll in the Hand of God? It was the title to ownership of this earth. Before Adam fell into sin, God had given him dominion over, or control of, the earth. When sin came in, however, the earth was corrupted and became the dominion of the evil one. Satan was making a valid offer to Jesus in Luke 4:

"Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours'" (Luke 4:5 - 7).

Adam had forfeited his dominion over the world to Satan, and in effect making a title-deed of this world before God. How was the Devil used his power? He instigates bloody wars; he foments robbery, abuse and murder. For this reason Paul said, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:22, 23).

Therefore if humanity was to have any hope, someone had to repurchase the earth.

Qualifications required to open the sealed scroll (Rev. 5:2 - 4).

The one who could open the scroll had to be a close kinsman to the original "owner" of the world. Thus, the one who would redeem the earth from the Devil had to be a human being. But, how could sinful people, descendants of Adam, be qualified for this job? In addition, whoever would redeem the earth would have to want to do it enough to pay the price.

Who then would have all these four conditions or qualifications - (1) A kinsman to human beings; (2) not a descendant of Adam; (3) able to redeem the earth; and (4) willing to pay the price? The person could not be found in heaven, for the angels are not close kinsmen to us. Nor could the person be found among ordinary, sinful mortals. And the person certainly wouldn't be found under the earth, where the Devil and evil spirits are, for they would be the last to desire to redeem the earth.

Thus, there was no one able to open the scroll and look at it, and John wept bitterly as he realized there was no hope for human beings on earth. He also wept over his own incompetence in that situation, because he, too, was a member of the fallen human race.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5 - 14)

A Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:6)

While John ws thus weeping, one of the elders said to him: "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals" (Rev. 5:5).

Then John saw that in the midst of the Throne, the four beasts and the elders, stood a Lamb. Jesus appeared not as the Son of God but as a Lamb, the sacrifice for sin.

When Jesus walked upon this earth, John the Baptist introduced Him by saying, "Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29)! When the John of Revelation saw Him in heaven, he described Jesus as a Lamb that looked as if it had been slain. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.

Peter said Christians are redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).

Jesus looked like He had been killed, but He was not lying on an altar, in bed, or in a casket. He was standing in the center of the Throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and twenty-four elders (Rev. 5:6).

Seven horns and seven eyes (Rev. 5:6)

Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible, and horns are symbols of power. Seven horns means that Jesus had ominipotent, perfect power. He may have looked like a little lamb, but He had all the power of God.

The seven eyes are defied as the seven Spirits of God - "The Spirit of the Lord shall be upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2).

The Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5 - 7)

As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus met all four conditions for redeeming the earth:

1. To be a close kinsman of human beings (one of us), He left His Throne in heaven and became a man, born of the young woman Mary in Bethlehem.

2. In order to avoid being a sin-tainted descendant of Adam, He was supernaturally conceived and born of a virgin. Therefore, Jesus was free from the original sin of Adam and lived a perfect life.

3. Able to redeem the earth by virtue of His sinlessness. It freed Him to take the punishment we deserved for our sins upon Himself (read Romans 5).

4. He wanted to redeem the eath. For all His ability, if Jesus had not wanted to redeem us enough to go to the cross, we would have remained in sin. Yet He voluntarily gave up His life for us. And thus did He rightfully take the title-deed of the earth from the Hand of God.

When Jesus received the scroll, His identification as the Lion of the tribe of Judah symbolized His reign as the King of kings.


From Lamb to Lion (Rev. 5:7, 8)


Keep in mind that John was seeing those things that will take place after the Church is raptured. The Rapture is a very significant event because it marks a distinct change in the way Jesus deals with mankind. Up until now He has dealt with us as a lamb, but from this point on through the Great Tribulation period, He will deal with those who are left behind as a lion.


John watched as Jesus took the scroll from the right hand of God. All creation has waited almost six thousand years for this pivotal moment. Adam lost the title-deed to earth for all mankind, but Jesus has proven Himself a worthy redeemer and will get the deed back.


When Jesus took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him each with a harp and a golden bowl. The harps are musical instruments that will accompany the singing in heaven. The "golden bowls full of incense" (Rev. 5:8) are the prayers of the saints. Notice that in Scripture, incense always speaks of prayers of the saints.


The psalmist said; "Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands a the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).


Who and what will we be praying for in heaven? We will be praying for our loved ones on earth who are being persecuted. We will pray for the defeat of the "satanic trinity," and we will pray for the Second Coming and the subsequent reign of Jesus.


The Godhead is thought of as - The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Satan seems to try to duplicate that with his own trinity called the "satanic trinity." Satan tries to replace God, the Antichrist tries to replace Christ, and the false prophet tries to replace the Holy Spirit. Satan will indwell the Antichrist and the false prophet, so they will be pure evil. When the Antichrist supposedly dies and is resurrected some think he will come back to life because Satan has possessed his body.


The three songs in heaven


A new song - the song of redeemed saints (Rev. 5:9, 10)


The four living creature and the twenty-four elders sang a new song with a new form of praise. Their song speaks of what He has already done. It tells why Jesus is worthy to take the scroll and open the seals.


Jesus is worthy because He was slain on the cross of Calvary (Isaiah 53:4 - 6). Jessus is worthy because with His blood He purchased our sins. He paid the price of our redemption (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Jesus is worthy because He is no respector of persons. He died for the sins of all the world (John 3:16). Jesus is worthy because He made us a royal priesthood to serve and reign with Him (1 Peter 2:9; 2 Tim 2:12).


The song of the angels (Rev. 5:11, 12).


Next comes the song of the angels. First notice their position: "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, ..." (Rev. 5:11). The redeemed saints are sitting on the Throne; the hosts of angels are standing. As angels were created to serve the redeemed saints (read Heb. 1:14), there is a distinction between the two. They praised Jesus thus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was lain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing" (Rev. 5:12)!


Since angels have never fallen and were made for a different purpose, their song does not refer to the precious blood of the Lamb, or being purchase or becoming priests. Their song simply a song of praise.


The song of all creatures (Rev. 5:13, 14)


All creatures include creature which are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea (Rev. 5:13).


Following the song of the angels, all creatures sing thus: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever" (Rev. 5:14)!


When all these hymns are ended, the four living creatures respond with "Amen," and the twenty-four elders bow down and worship.


It seems to me that the most beautiful song of the three is the "new song" or the song of the redeemed saints. Isn't God's divine grace wonderful? We are the ones who rebelled against Him and consequently received the greatest love and destiny from God. Part of our response should be beautiful songs of praise to God, and He delights to hear them. That is the reason we need to praise Him regularly in our Church services and prayer meetings.


Thus, the preparation for God to reclaim the earth will be completed. As soon as our Lord opens the seals of the scroll, the curtain on the stage of the Great Tribulation will finally be drawn up. This will be my next messages.

The Rapture and the Throne of God

As I have mentioned in my previous message - "The Church Age - Part 3," the Church in Laodicea signifies the Church Age from the 1900s to the time of the Great Tribulation. This is the last Church on earth. This Church will be the Bride of Christ. But, this does not mean that the entire Church will be the Bride. There are conditions to be fulfilled. In order to understand the Rapture we need to understand God's purpose of redemption for Israel and for the Church.

God's purpose of redemption for Israel and for the Church

Exodus 19 contains a message God gave to Moses for the children of Israel after He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, brought them out by tremendous miracles and brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai and from there He proposed to enter a Covenant with them. Let us look at some verses.

"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, the you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:4 - 6, NKJV, emphasis added).

When God said to Israel, "I brought you to Myself," He was telling the children of Israel His primary purpose of their redemption, i.e. to bring His chosen to himself! Notice that God first revealed His primary objective before He went on to outline the rest of His purpose - the details of His Covenant and the conditions attached to His Covenant (read the rest of Exodus).

Notice that the words spoken by God are not merely relevant to Israel after their redemption out of Egypt, but they are not less relevant to the Church today. I believe that most of the Jews have never discovered the purpose of their redemption, not even today. The Scripture says because of their unbelief and rejection of God, salvation came to the Gentiles (Romans 11).

Since Israel failed to understand the purpose of their redemption, God simply restated the same purpose for the Church of Jesus Christ, consisting both the Jewish and Gentile believers.

Peter said (to the believers), "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, ..." (1 Peter 2:9).

Therefore, God's primary purpose in redemption is always this - to bring His people (Israel and the Church) to Himself. Anything else is secondary.

The Bride of Christ

Now, God's purpose of bringing His people to Himself is to prepare a Bride for His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5 gives a picture of Christ's love for the Church.

Paul said: "Husbands love your wives, just as Chrsit also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25 - 27, emphasis added).

The Bride is being prepared, "with the washing of the water of the Word." Therefore, without upholding the truth of God's Word, the Church will not be cleased and so is not fit to be the Bride. The Church cannot be cleansed by any other means - like observing Church doctrine, Church custom, Church tradition, and doctrines of men (even men graduated from Bible Colleges), because more often than not, these are contrary to the Word of God and therefore tarnish the Church! The Church that is not cleansed by the Word will not be holy; she will be full of spots and wrinkle and full of blemishes and therefore fails to be the Bride.

After the preparation of the Bride (the glorious Church), Jesus' ultimate purpose for His Church is to bring her to the Father's house for the marriage of the Lamb:

Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2, 3, emphasis added).

1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 give a picture of what will happen. A day will come when all true Christians will be caught up bodily and alive to meet the Lord in the air (please read my earlier message - "Imminent Pre-trebulation Rapture." This is what John means when he said in John 14:3 - "I will come again and receive you to Myself."

I believe the first event in heaven after our Lord takes us there, will be the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:12 - 15). This is not a judgment for condemnation but a judgment for reward. We must all give an account to our Lord for every action or failure to act, for every idle word and secret thought. After this the Groom will want to spend some time with His Bride, the now glorified Church in the Father's house.

In Christ's days the Jewish bride was taken to the father's house where the two were in seclusion for seven days (one week). Christ must have had that custom in mind when He promised to take His Bride to His Father's house. During these seven years (the 70th week of years in Daniel's prophecy - Daniel 9:24 - 27) the earth is going through the Great Tribulation period under the reign of the Antichrist! But, at precisely the same time in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb is being prepared (Rev. 19:7, 8)! The Bride of Christ escapes the wrath of the Antichrist. That is the way God protects His Church, fulfilling what Jesus said to Peter, "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). He brings His Church to Himself! On the other hand, the gates of Hades shall prevail against the "church" that is left behind under the reign of the Antichrist. In fact the Antichrist together with his false prophet and his "elders" and "pastors" will be sitting at their gates - the gates of Hades!

The Rapture of the Church

In Revelation 1:19 John was told to write three things - "The things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." (Please read my earlier message - The Church Age - Part 1). "The things which you have seen," correspons to the Chapter 1 of the book of Revelation. "The things which are," corresponds to the period of Churches (the Church Age) in Chapter 2 and 3. "The things which will take place after this," corresponds to the remaining Chapters (Chapter 4 to Chapter 22) which deal with things that will unfold at the end of the Church Age. So far we have looked at the first two of those things. Now, beginning with Revelation 4, we consider the third - "The things which will take place after this." This message deals with some of the things which will take place. This involves the Rapture of the of the Church to heaven into the very presence of the Throne of God. After this, we shall study The Great Tribulation.

The Throne Room in Heaven (Rev. 4:1 - 11)

John wrote, "After these things I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this'" (Rev. 4:1, emphasis added).

The panorama John now viewed had changed from earth to heaven. Only a short time before, Jesus stood in the midst of the golden candlesticks and spoke to the seven Churches. That scene disappeared, and when and awesome gate of heaven was flung open, a voice like a trumpet said, "Come up here." God will likewise use a trumpet sound when He calls the Church to meet Him in the air (read 1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

John was the last surviving apostle. His ascending to heaven pictures the Church at the end of the age that has prepared oil, being filled with the Holy Spirit (read Matt. 25:1 - 13), and with other conditions fulfilled, is taken up into heaven as the Bride of Christ.

It won't be long before that same voice will be heard by your ears and mine, and we also shall be taken up to heaven. As a door opened when John looked up, so a door in heaven will open for us, and we shall also ascend.

One Who was stting on the Throne (Rev. 4:2, 3)

As john looked into heaven, he first saw omeone sitting on a throne (Rev. 4:2). The center of heaven is the Throne of God, and on it are the Father, the Son and the Spirit. John thus described the figure of God the Father on the Throne - "And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald" (Rev. 4:3).

Jasper signifies the inscrutable divinity and holiness of God. The ruby-colored sardius stone signifies righteous judgment. When John first saw God, he felt not only the infinite divinity and holiness of God but also His sternness of righteous judgment, John's heart might well have trembled with awesome fear.

The rainbow around the throne resembled an emerald. When we see a rainbow from the earth, it looks like a half-circle. But when we see it from an airplane in the sky, it looks like a complete circle. The sight must have filled John's trembling heart with joy.

The origin of the rainbow goes back to the days of Noah. When Noah sacrificed animals after the flood, God made a covenant with him, saying He would not judge the world again with a flood (Gen. 9:11). As a sign of this covenant, God made a rainbow to appear in the clouds.

Thus, a rainbow resembling an emerald and surrounding the Throne means that God, in spite of His infinite divinity and holiness, has already accepted a sacrifice for our sins. That offering is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who died on the cross of Calvary. By accepting Jesus' sacrifice, God made another covenant between Himself and mankind - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Twenty-four elders around the Throne (Rev. 4:4)

After John saw Him who sat on the Throne, he also saw twenty-four thrones surrounding the Throne. Twenty-four elders, with crowns of gold on their head, sat on those thrones.

John promised the Laodicean Church: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21). Those who overcome will ascend to heaven and sit on the Throne that even angels cannot come near.

What do the twenty-four thones signify? I believe they represent the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and the twelve disciples of Jesus in the New Testment. Altogether the twenty-four thrones represent the saints who were saved in both Old and New Testament times.

The twenty-four elders were human beings. Angels cannot have an office such as elders, neither does God give them golden crowns. Such crowns are given only to those who have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The Throne (Rev. 4:5, 6)

John also saw "lightnings, thunderings, and voices proceeded out of the Throne" (Rev. 4:5). What comes after a flash of lightning and peals of thunder in a summer storm? A shower. God is ready to rain judgment (The Great Tribulation) upon this earth like a summer shower. But He is postponing His judgment until His children are taken away to heaven and seated with Him.

John also saw "... seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God" (Rev. 4:5). This image shows the Holy Spirit on the Throne in heaven, having returned there with Church.

In front of the throne was "a sea of glass, like crystal" (Rev. 4:6). This can be interpreted to mean the true Church after the Rapture. The description, "like crystal" indicates calmness and serenity. That means all our tears, cares and trouble will no longer exist.

The four living creatures or beasts (Rev. 4:7)

Next John saw four living reatures around the Throne of God. The first was like a lion and the second like a calf; the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle (Rev. 4:7).

Isaiah saw a similar vision. He wrote of seraphim standing above a throne (read Isaiah 6:2, 3).

Ezekiel also saw four living creatures in his vision (read Ezekiel 1:5 - 12).

What were the four living creatures in Revelation 4? They were cherubim, the angels that guard the holiness at His Throne. The first was like a lion. That symbolizes Jesus' coming as the King of the Jew, as Matthew's Gospel describes Him. The second creature was like a calf (ox), which signifies Jesus who works, as Mark's Gospel describes Him. The third creature was like a man, and Luke's Gospel describes Jesus as the Son of man. He had a complete human nature, being born of the Virgin Mary. The fourth creature was like an eagle which represents the divinity of God. John's Gospel emphasizes John was the divine Son of God.

Thus, the four living creatures standing around the Throne all symbolize the Person of Jesus Christ.

Worship (Rev. 4:8 - 11)

What comes next is a scene of worship. First the four living creatures worship God day and night, never resting. They ceaselessly say, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is to come" (Rev. 4:8).

When the living creatures give glory to God, the twenty-four elders also fall down and worship Him. They cast their crowns before the Throne and saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (Rev. 4:11).

This is the scene of heavenly worship which includes us, the heavenly glorified Church - "A sea of glass!"

The Church Age - Part 3

Continuing from Part 2 we are now going to study the remaining three of the seven Churches, prophetically covering the period 1517 to the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The three Churches are the Church in Sardis, the Church in Philadelphia and the Church in Laodicea.

The Church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1 - 6)

1. Name of the recipient Church

Sardis was a city that flourished some five hundred years before John (who wrote Revelation) was born. Later the city was conquered by Cyrus of Persia, then by Alexander the Great. Through those conquests Sardis was reduced to ruins. This city worshipped the goddess Cybele.

2. Christ's spiritual evaluation of the Church

The Church in Sardis signifies the period from 1517 to 1750. The name "Sardis" means "those escaping" - the people who left what became the Roman Catholic Church. In the light of Church history, the Church in Sardis refers to the Protestant Church founded by Luther, a priest who led the Reformation beginning in 1517, on the Biblical principle that we are justified by faith alone, not by good works and adherence to tradition.

Jesus appeared to the Church in Sardis as One who had the seven Spirit of God and the seven stars (Rev. 3:1). The seven stars signify the servants of God, and the seven Spirits of God signify that God gives the fullness of the Holy Spirit to the servants whom He has restored.

Jesus said, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).

Even though the Reformation was achieved, it had political as well as spiritual motives behind it. The Church was still bound by form and ritual. And the Church was actually still in the state of death, even though it had the appearance of being alive. That is the reason why many Bible teachers called the Church in Sardis a dead Church.

3. Christ's Commendation

Jesus commended the few clothed in white robes in the Church of Sardis (read Rev. 3:4). They were the ones who were justified before God by their faith, as were the leaders of the Reformation, who also retained pure faith. Because they believed in the precious blood of Jesus and His grace, He washed them clean and clothed them with white robes.

4. Christ's Rebuke

As mentioned earlier in Rev. 3:1, Jesus said that even though the Church had a name that they were alive, but they were dead spiritually. He meant that in the past the Church had been growing and was alive, but little by little their enthusiasm disappeared and their faith became cold. Only a memory of the past was left.

5. Christ's Exhortation

Jesus exhorted the Church in Sardis to be awakened to life from the dead state, to remember His graces received, to hold fast to the faith and repent (read Rev. 3:3).

6. Christ's Promise

Jesus promised that He would clothe with white robes those who were thus quickened to life and record their names in the book of life, that they might live forever (read Rev. 3:5). He would also vouch for those names before God and His angels.

The Church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7 - 13)

1. Name of the recipient Church

Philadelphia was located thirty miles southeast of Sardis. It was destroyed by the great earthquake of A.D. 17 and rebuilt by Tiberius. It was known for its wine, and drinking was a major problem.

2. Christ's spiritual evaluation of the Church

The Church in Philadelphia foretold the Church age between 1750 and 1905. "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," and the Church there preached the gospel with such love. Indeed, proclaiming the gospel is impossible unless we have compassion for our fellow men and women. When we do, Jesus opens the door of revival.

The Lord appeared to the Church in Philadelphia as the One who had the key of David (Rev. 3:7). When He opens, no one can shut, and when He shuts, no one can open. This signified that the Lord would cause a great revival in the Philadelphia Church.

For a century and a half (from 1750 to 1905), Churches experienced wonderful revival movements, and the fire spread to various parts of the world. A Society for China Inland Mission was formed in Great Britain, and through its efforts the gospel was preached to the inner parts of China. The Student Volunteer Movement, also arising in Great Britain, became a great mission society.

Also during this period, the Methodist movement, the Salvation Army and the Holiness Church arose. George Whitefield shook England, America and Europe with the gospel. Following him, numerous evangelical revivalists such as Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, Charles Spurgeon and Dwight Moody set America and Europe on fire.

Jesus' prophecy came true during the Church age of Philadelphia. He also forewarned the Church of the coming Great Tribulation, but He promised He would cause the Church to miss that Tribulation (Rev. 3:10).

3. Christ's Commendation

Jesus commended the Philadelphian Church for doing many activities with little ability and behaving sincerely, causing no shame to His name (Rev. 3:10).

4. Christ's Rebuke

The Lord did not rebuke the Philadelphian Church, a faithful and missionary Church. He never rebukes a gospel-proclaiming and mission-sending Church. Neither He rebuked a persecuted Church (Smyrna).

5. Christ's Exhortation

Jesus exhorted the Philadelphian Church, which fulfilled its missionary role with little ability, to "hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Rev. 3:11). He didn't demand more than that but urged the Church to preserve its enthusiasm for missions and service and to develop them more.

6. Christ's Promise

Jesus promised the Philadelphian Church that if it kept the word of patience, continuing its mission work, He would keep it from the hour of temptation, when God will judge all the people who have lived on the earth (Rev. 3:10) - the Great Tribulation.

To him who overcame, Jesus also gave the promise that He would make him a pillar in the temple (Rev. 3:12). The pillar of the temple or Church supports the house where God dwells.

Jesus also promised He would give the Church a new name (Rev. 3:10). he would write the name of God, the name of New Jerusalem and His own new name to him who overcomes.


The Church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14 - 22)


1. Name of the recipient Church


Being a center of finance, Laodicea was very rich. It was one of the largest cities in Asia Minor. Moreover, it was a city of entertainment, where all the citizens sought continual pleasure. Since the Church had compromise with the world, it became neither cold nor hot (Rev 3:1).


2. Christ's spiritual evaluation of the Church


In terms of Church history, the Laodicean Church signifies the age from the 1900s to the time of the Great Tribulation. This slso describes, prophetically, the state of our Church today. "Laodicea" means, "the right of laity," namely the Church of people's rights. This is a time when the laity have become more "enlightened" than the ministers and when their power is such that they can even hire and fire a pastor at will.


Jesus appeared to the Church in Laodicea as One who was "Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God." Accepting the Word of God with "amen" expresses our sincere loyalty to the Lord. The Laodicean Church, howeve, had lost its loyalty to Christ, its true witness and the original purpose of creation. Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy and lifeless faith and urged it to repent.


From the beginning of the Laodicean aged in 1905, theology began to criticize the Bible historically, scientifically and philosophically by introducing rationalism and higher criticism. This started in Germany. The Scripture cannot be subjected to higher criticism through science and reasoning, however, for it was written by divine revelation. Nevertheless, the liberal new theology asserted that the Bible is not scientifically or historically correct; its accounts are mostly myth. Therefore all the miracles in it must be removed.


3. Christ's Commendation


Among the six Churches we have seen so far, no Church failed to receive a commendation. However, the Laodicean Church did not receive any commendation, only rebuke. It represents the Church age in which we now live.


4. Christ's Rebuke


Jesus rebuked the Church in Laodicea, saying, " I know your works, that you are neither cold nor ho. I could wish you wer cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:15, 16).


Jesus condemned the lukewarm faith of the Leodicean Church. But, many today's Churches are just the same - neither cold nor hot. The people offer lips service and make social noises when they meet in Church service or cell group meeting. They read the Bible but very often don't do what the Scriptures said.


Jesus hates the Laodicean Church's lukewarm faith. If faith is cold, Jesus can move a person toward repentance. On the other hand, people who vehemently oppose Jesus can easily be converted when their egos are crushed and they become hot with conviction. However, those people who go to Church and give agreeable answers but whose hearts are not in it are the last kind to be converted.


Why was the Church in Laodicea lukewarm in its faith? They had a wrong understanding of themselves. They said, "I am rich have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17). But Jesus rebuked their spiritual powerty, "... you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked."


Today many Churches, the world over, also allow their worship services to degenerate into social gatherings. On Sundays they have a short worship service, and then they enjoy eating and drinking under the false name of Christian fellowship.


Paul said, "... the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but reighteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14;17).


5. Christ's Exhortation


Jesus first exhorted the Laodicean Church to seek true richness - spiritual richness that can be obtained only from Jesus through faith (read Rev. 3:18). Then Jesus said the Church should seek from Him white raiment. This is the robe Jesus clothers us with, signifying our righteousness through His precious shed blood.


Finally, Jesus exhorted the Laodicean Church to buy eye salve and anoint its eyes that it might see. This is the eye salve of the Holy Spirit, who opens spiritual eyes. In other words, the Church should look at its material and educational wealth through eyes of right spiritual-understanding. Then it would realize that the wealth of the world in which it put so much trust is only transient.


6. Christ's Promise


Jesus promised the Laodicean Church, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21).


There is no place to go except the throne of God. This is a wonderful saying, for when we go to the throne of God, the world ends.

The Church Age - Part 2

Continuing from Part 1 we shall now study the next two of the seven Churches, prophetically covering the period A.D. 312 to 1517. These two Churches are the Church in Pergamos and the Church in Thyatira.


The Church in Pergamos (Rev. 2:12 - 17).


1. Name of the recipient Church


Pergamos was the capital of Asia Minor and a flourishing center of politics, power, heathen worship and learning. It had temples of Zeus and altars offered to Aesculapius, its tutelary god. The people put serpents on their altars and worshipped them. This signified devil worship. Moreover, the cult of emperor worship flourished here too. It was the duty of every citizen to burn incense once a year to his deified image.


2. Christ's spiritual evaluation of the Church


Prophetically, the Church in Pergamos refers to the Church period from A.D. 312, when Constantine the Great proclaimed Christianity as Rome's state religion, until the year 590.


"Pergamos" means "marriage." While Constantine made Christianity the state religion, he also took advantage of it politically. He used the marriage of the state and Church (including the incorporation of the Babylonian religion's heresy) to consolidate the empire's unity.


Accordingly, in the annals of Church history, the Church in Pergamos represents the adulterous Church that compromise with the world. When suffering persecution, they became pure. But when they received blessings again, they compromised with the world, turning into Pergamos and falling to depravity in pursuit of worldly pleasure.


The Lord appeared to the Church in Pergamos as "He who has the sharp two-edged sword" (Rev. 2:12, NKJV).


Because this Church "have those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idol and to commit sexual immorality" (Rev. 2:14), it needed to repent, or He would come in judgment - fight against those people with "the sword of His mouth" (Verse 16) which is the sword of His Word.


3. Christ's Commendation


Jesus commended the Church in Pergamos for keeping its pure faith and not compromising with heresies. he especially pointed out a man named Antipas (Rev. 2:13). Tradition and history related this concerning the martyrdom of Antipas:


"At that time emperor worship was in full force. One day a Roman official took Antipas before the image of the emperor and said, 'Antipas, worship the image.'


Antipas answered, 'The King of kings and the Lord of lords is Jesus Christ only, so I will not worship any other god. Only Jesus.'


The Roman official was infuriated and shouted, 'Antipas, don't you know that all the world is against you?'


Antipas responded, 'Then I, Antipas, acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of lords against all the world.'


Enraged at this answer, the official ordered some men to heat up a brazen bull, and Antipas was put into it. There he was slowly roasted to death. Yet he never denied Jesus."


4. Christ's Rebuke


Jesus rebuked the Church in Pergamos, saying, "But I have a few things against you, because you have those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, ..." (Rev. 2:14).


When the children of Israel came out of Egypt and entered the land of Canaan, Balak, king of Moab, called Balaam, the prophet, and asked him to curse Israel. Balaam, whose eyes were darkened by power and money, advised Balak that if the Moabites tempted the Israelites with fornication, God would destroy them (read Num. 25:1 - 9; 31:16). So Balak had beautiful Mobite women dance lewdly on the altars of the idol, and the men of Israel committed fornication with the women of Moab and worshipped the idol. As a result, God's judgment came upon them, and thousands of people died in a single day.


The Church in Pergamos harbored fornicators, and the Christian Church of that day committed spiritual fornication by joining itself with the Babylonian religion.


The Lord also rebuked the Church in Pergamos for including some who held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:15).


The Nicolaitans were the followers of Satan. They introduced Greek philosophy into the Church and also caused it to commit fornication and adultery.


5. Christ's Exhortation


Jesus exhorted the Church in Pergamos, "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev. 2:15).


From this we know how indignant He was. The Church He bought with His own blood was tainted with heresy and immorality.


6. Christ's Promise


He promised that He would give the hidden manna to the person who repented and overcame temptation (Rev. 2:17). This hidden manna is heavenly, spiritual food - Jesus Himself!


He also promised He would give a white stone to those who overcame. This refers to the stone the court of that day gave as token to accuse criminals when they were found not guilty. On the other hand, if they were found guilty they were given a black stone. Therefore, Jesus was promising that when people repented, He would forgive their sins and make them righteous. The promise extend to us as well.


The Church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18 - 29)


1 Name of the recipient Church


Thyatira was a small city in Asia Minor. The chief industry of this city was fabric dyeing. Fortune-telling was also prevalent, and numerous people would gather for this purpose in large temple.


2. Christ's spiritual evaluation of the Church


"Thyatira" means "continued sacrifice," which the Catholic mass is all about. In terms of Church history, Thyatira signifed the Dark Ages of the Church from A.D. 590 to 1517, when Martin Luther began the Refomation.


Jesus was described to the Church in Thyatira as having "eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass" (Rev. 2:18). He penetrates reality with those eyes and judges the Church with those feet. Brass speaks of judgment.


After Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, the Church grew steadily more worldly. It left the true nature of the faith - the religion of the Word, praise and prayer. Lay people attending service only watched what was going on, while the priests offering sacrifices. Consequently, the faith of the laity atrophied into little more than spectating at rituals.


One of the abominable practices adopted by the Church was the selling of indulgences to collect contributions from the believers. It was a last unbiblical resort to finance the building of a new Church building for Saint Peter in Rome. Buying an indugence was a commercial transaction; it was like buying ticket to heaven, and it was adverised as such! However grave a person's sin may have been, it was immediately forgiven the moment he bought this indulgence. Even a person who was already dead and whose soul was thought to be in purgatory could get to heaven if his offspring bough indulgences for him!


A story was told that, Johann Tetzel, a priest who was commissioned to sell indulgences, beguiled believers, playing on their sympathies for departed relatives and friends whom they might release from the sufferings in purgatory "as soon as the penny tinkles in the box." Thus, God's spiritual gift of salvation was corrupted into a commodity to be fought like a sack of potatoes! In this manner the Church of that day, like the Church in Thyatira, became depraved. For this reason, most Bible teachers classified the Church in Thyatira as the corrupt Church.


Jesus said He would cast the Church that did not repent of fornication into a sick bed and kill its children (read Rev. 2:21 - 23).


Several times Jesus gave opportunities for the Church to repent in the dark period of the Middle Ages. Various movements arose and challenged the Church to repent and reform.


One of the first was the Albigenses, which arose around 1170 in southern France. Rejecting the rites of the Church, it put its effort into distributing copies of the New Testament. In those days the Church forbade lay believers to read the Bible. Every local Church had only one copy, and even that was chained to the pulpit so no one had access to it. When the reform movement became strong, Popel Inncent III sent crusaders and annihilated the Albigenses.


Another opportunity for repentance came with the waldense movement in 1170. Peter Waldo, a merchant of Lyon, France, was their leader. The Waldence disguised themselves as tradesmen and peddled ware, distributing copies of the New Testament and preaching the pure gospel as they traveled. However, this movement also came to a halt through persecution.


Yet another opportunity for repentance appeared with the reform movement led by John Wycliffe, an Englishamn, he translated the Latin Bible into English and launched a compaign of spreading the Bible throughout the world. Jan Hus, who was influenced by Wycliffe, became the rector of a university in Bohemia. He cried for reform in 1369, demanding that the Church return to pure faith. In 1416 he was excommunicated y the pope and was finally burned to death in France.


On the day Hus was executed, the public square was filled with a large crowd. An effigy of a demon was bound to his body, which in turn was bound to a stake by a chain. Wood was heaped around his body up to his chin, and then set on fire. Historians noted that Hus sang hymns as the fire was ignited and began to burn his body. Numerous people witnessing the scene were moved to tears and became followes of the reform movement.


Because the Church refused to repent of her spiritual fornication, she had to be "cast into a sickbed" (Rev. 2:22). That bed was the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, which supplanted the Roman Church as God's most faithful witness on earth.


3. Christ's Commendation


The Lord said, "I know you works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first" (Rev. 2:19).


He commended the works, love, service, faith and patient endurance of the Church in Thyatira.


4. Christ's Rebuke


The Lord issued a severe rebuke citing the Church's tolerance of Jezebel, the false prophetess (Rev. 2:20). Jesus was referring to a woman fortune-teller in Thyatira, who even went into the Church to practice her evil. But, symbolically He was referring to the Jezebel of the Old Testament. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and Ahab, king of Israel, took her to be his wife (read 1 Kings 16:29 - 33). She brought the worship of Baal into Israel and had the altars of the Lord God demolished.


Jesus rebuked the spiritual adultery of this Church that followed Jezebel, mixing faith and divination.


5. Christ's Exhortation


The Lord gave the Church in Thyatira the exhortation that it should not compromise with the shamanistic faith, but stand firm on the Word (read Rev. 2:24, 25). Our faith also should be based firmly on the Word. Extravagant fondness prophecy - an obsession with details not revealed in the Bible - might lead your faith astray just as in the case of the Church in Thyatira.


6. Christ's Promise


Jesus promised He would give power over the nations and the morning star to him who overcomes temptation (read Rev. 2:26 - 28). I believe the morning star signifies the second coming of Jesus Christ. If we stand firm on the Word with pure faith, we will have the privilege of taking part in the second coming of Christ - our part as the bride of Christ!