The Seven Year Tribulation, Part 2
INTRODUCTION: Psalm 2: the world rejects the King whom God has installed. Christ is worthy to be King. God laughs in derision. Autonomy is such a myth—Satan’s own lie of autonomy has been fixed on the human race since the Fall in Eden. Satan keeps his dupes by promoting the autonomy lie. No small part of the autonomy lie is the confident notion that your intellect is a reliable judge of reality APART FROM divine revelation. What Satan doesn’t tell his subjects is that to reject God’s counsel is to be under his counsel by default.
This fact that Satan is the ‘default’ god of this world is vital to our topic. If your reasoning processes are not ruled by the Word of God, then by default, your world and life view is ruled by the counsel of Satan. Those are the only two options: God’s counsel or Satan’s counsel.
CHAP 13 -- We saw in chapter13 last time that Satan himself gives his power to the Antichrist (13:2) (“his power, his throne, and great authority”). We also saw that the whole world will worship the Beast except for those who are the elect of God (13:8, 12). (The death and resurrection of Christ seals the redemption of the elect forever (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).
A central theme in this chapter is the level of delusion the Beast and False Prophet are able to pull off (13:14-18). It is through ‘great signs’ which imitate and rival the signs performed by the Two Witnesses (chapter 11). We’re reminded of how the false prophets (magicians) who ministered to Pharoah at the time of Moses were able by demonic power to duplicate some of the signs performed by Moses (Ex 7:11).
Chapter 13 is a summary of Antichrist’s career—but future chapters in Revelation will provide additional details of his monstrous career. Satan’s wish from the beginning of his temptation of Adam and Eve briefly appears to become a reality. The worship of the Beast (indwelt by Satan himself) becomes global law. Man’s internal hatred of God and man’s invisible allegiance to Satan is now brought out into the open. Satan is a worshipper of self—it shouldn’t surprise us if his followers do the same.
The image of the Beast erected by the False Prophet (known as the Abomination of Desolation—the abomination which makes desolate) is of a human, perhaps an idealized human. The Beast displays himself as ‘God’ (2 Thess 2:4). The Beast gains his worshippers out of fear and terror. One cannot buy or sell or acquire the basic necessities of life without taking the mark of the Beast (13:14-18).
CHAP 14 – God is sending events which are revealing hearts and shaking the world order and the order of nature. This is all in preparation for the Lord to reinvade earth history and decisively take back the title deed to the earth. The Lord will ultimately send His mighty angels to remove all stumbling blocks from His coming Kingdom. The earth will no longer harbor those who are enemies of God’s glory—God is evicting so to speak the evil tenants who have assumed they may live another year ‘rent free’.
Vv. 6-7 – The life and death urgency of repentance is in view here as the end of the age draws near (only 30 or 40 months remaining of human history as we know it)—an angel assists in the evangelistic effort by preaching an eternal gospel. Notice please that foundational in the gospel is that God is Creator; and that the creature’s attitude must be fear of God as well as a strong desire to worship God and give Him glory as the rightful recipient of our praise (for He is Creator of all).
“Babylon the Great” is the name given to the kingdom of Antichrist (this is not the literal historic Babylon whose ruins are in modern day Iraq). The angel following the one who preached the eternal gospel announces the imminent fall of Babylon (the Beast’s kingdom) (14:8). All those in the Beast’s kingdom will drink the wrath of God and experience eternal damnation—they will be tormented forever and ever (14:10-11).
At this time one might think that true believers have their Bibles open to the book of Revelation and their calendars marked for which events of judgment are going to ensure before Christ’s glorious return (no doubt that will be true to some degree); but the pressures on believers will be so great as families are torn apart; the search for food is a challenge; the deceptions are global; the persecutions and martyrdoms are cruel beyond imagination—that there will be the temptation to feel abandoned by God. This is why perseverance becomes a synonym for obedience and salvation (14:12).
(Note that the evil one has had his prototypes (test run) in history: Antiochus Epiphanes; Adolf Hitler. See Daniel 11:30-35 which describes events under an Antichrist prototype which tests believers to the limit. The regenerate will endure to the end—they will never lose their faith—even on the way to their deaths.
14:14-20 – The great winepress of God—the vintage of God is a terrifying metaphor for slaughter on an unprecedented scale. God has a vintage—He is awesome and terrible and glorious in judgment (see Is 63; Joel 3:13). This is vivid imagery of a horrendous slaughter (blood bath)—the slaughter of the enemies of God who are still alive. They will face destruction at the battle of Armageddon. This battle will take place outside Jerusalem (the city will be spared—Zech 14:1-5). Blood will be splattered and saturate everything up to a height of four feet.
CHAP 15 – The saints come off victorious. They are pictured in heaven (but we must remember that their victory was their faith. They were slain by the Antichrist and his forces—12:11). Now in heaven, they held harps and sang the song of Moses which was a song about God’s majesty in judging the armies of Egypt.
The song of Moses gives us needed insight into why God (the Author of life) is tormenting and ultimately slaying such a large percentage of the world’s population. Notice some of the key words: judgments; righteous; holy; fear; glorify Thy Name; worship. God is not a pluralist. He will not give His glory to another. He will realize His purpose for creating the universe. Human and angelic rebellion will not thwart His goal of glorification. This ought to give us insight as to the severity of the plagues and judgments sent by God.
The chapter ends with seven angels exiting the temple of God while carrying golden bowls of the wrath of God. What precedes and follows is the fact that these judgments of divine wrath are the perfect and precise punishments deserved by those committing crimes against God and His people.
CHAP 16 – God’s ‘righteous’ judgments are judgments in like kind. In other words they contain an illustration of what the crime deserves: they poured out the blood of the saints; God will give them blood to drink (16:6). God’s judgments are righteous (16:4, 6). Incurable painful oozing sores like boils break out upon in the kingdom of the Beast (16:2). Oceans and fresh water sources become like thick clotted coagulated blood of a dead man (no doubt a kind of algal bloom of trillions of micro organisms). This all takes place during drought and deadly heat waves associated with intense solar activity.
Billions of creatures die in the oceans and decay adding to the misery of the judgments. (People take the goodness of God in the order of nature for granted. They willingly forget that the very ground of their being which upholds them every moment is God Himself. To reject their Creator and to kill those who follow His only begotten Son brings divine vengeance upon them. Earth is withdrawing its hospitality big time!)
The slaughter of the redeemed that will take place at the hands of the Beast knows no parallel in human history. And the vengeance of God on the perpetrators knows no parallel in history. Incurable sores; scorching fierce heat; and lack of fresh water; and a darkened kingdom are the result of the bowls of wrath poured out by five of the angels. The sixth angel pours out his bowl of wrath and the Euphrates River dries up in order to permit the armies of Asia to travel the valley of Armageddon. God allows the demons to deceive these world powers in order to bring them to “the war of the great day of God, the Almighty” (16:12-16).
The seventh angel pours out his bowl to produce the largest earthquake in human history. Mountains fall into the sea. Islands disappear. The cities of the nations fall. (Note Henry Morris on the creation equilibrium lost in Noah’s Flood, and the cooling shrinking crust of the earth as a source of tectonic activity—16:18-20.) Such upheavals occur during this earthquake that the atmosphere is affected— convulsive effects (perhaps steam, ash, volcanism, condensation nuclei) produce hailstones about 100 pounds in weight (Hobbs story). The eviction of sinners is speeding up—the creation is ejecting the wicked tenants. Again it is blasphemy of God and not repentance (hell on earth).
The ‘war’ against God that rages in every unbeliever’s heart is being expressed in these blasphemies. World events are allowing this internal hatred to be externalized, organized, legislated into systematic extermination of God’s people. This is part of the mystery of lawlessness spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Neighbors of yours (outside of Christ) who keep their lawns perfect and their kids in fine clothes—you cannot imagine that under the right conditions they could scream for your torture and execution. (Nazi Germany after the invasion of Poland offered Poles the property, homes, and possessions of any Jew they would kill of turn in to the Gestapo.) (Also the Vatican making medals of honor for those Frenchman who killed a Hugenot.)
CHAP 17 – The identity of the Great Harlot is that of the global form of false religion at the time of the Tribulation. The true church is virgin bride; the false religious order is prostitute, harlot. Notice that her clients are intoxicated by her heresies, sensuality, and materialism. The seven heads and ten horns refer to the extent of Antichrist’s political alliances.
Remember this is not historic geographical Babylon. The angel explains in part the mystery of Babylon in verse 8. This is a repetition that the Beast’s sway over the earth will be global in nature. Only the elect are kept from this deception. The ‘harlot’ is false religion which is in league with the Antichrist. The Beast is using this organized false religion as a tool to consolidate his global power. The Beast fully supports this false religion outwardly so as to help galvanize his sub-rulers into a tight coalition. Then and only then will he destroy the harlot (plundering, destroying, burning her with fire). He turns against the religious system he has used so that he might seize all power and worship for himself.
17:9-18 – This is truly a fascinating portion of Scripture. The Lord is telling us how the Antichrist, the one world dictator rises to power. It is by the use of false religion; the deceptions of the False Prophet; by the formation of alliances; AND by God’s sovereignty over their wicked plans. Think of how natural it is for nations to abandon their national sovereignty and pledge their loyalty to a global leader. Verse 12 indicates that they give the Beast their authority (national) for one hour.
Now notice that this international coalition of nations which give over their authority to the Beast do so BECAUSE God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose (17:17). (This is reminiscent of how God destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.) Unbelievers cannot conceive of how God is sovereign over evil without be complicit with evil (note example of directing Hitler’s tanks back over the Rhine in the Battle of the Bulge). God is merely rounding up evil on a global scale that he may judge it. He is corralling His enemies through their plans of globalism.
This global conspiracy of nations under the leadership of the Beast will make war against the Lamb (17:14). The armies will ultimately assemble at Armageddon to take on God! (19:19).
CHAP 18 – The unbelieving world is in a spiritual stupor induced by the influence of Babylon the Great. Like a filthy birdcage of vultures, the unclean have taken up residence in her. Sinful arrogance, self-indulgence, perversion, immorality, materialism, false religion, luxury all abound. God’s people are urged to abandon any proximity to the system because it is about to be destroyed. (‘Come out of her my people’—Is 48:20; Jer 50:8; 51:6-9, 45.)
God will recompense Babylon in a way that fits her crimes. Her judgment is overdue. When her judgment comes, the people of God rejoice; but her clients weep. They sob openly in total despair. (Note God is shaking everything that can be shaken—only His Kingdom will remain—Heb 12.) Her commodities include trafficking in human souls (18:13). Many of the same commodities are listed in Tyre’s list of products in Ezekiel 27:12-22.
Babylon the Great has deceived the nations. One of those consequences of deception is that he nations have been willing to commit innumerable atrocities against God’s people (18:24).
CHAP 19 – God’s judgments are totally righteous. He is avenging the wickedness done to His servants (19:1-5). Following the judgment of God’s enemies is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Christ’s glorious return is accompanied by darkened sun and moon; carnage at Armageddon; smoke; blinding glory; falling stars; global lightning; and fire. The texts describing the rapture of the church have none of those details (Jn 14:1-3; 1 Thess 4:13-18).
Christ is King of kings; Lord of lords. He is returning on a white horse in battle array. The armies of heaven are with Him. But, it is Christ who is doing the executing of the enemies of God; not the church who is with Him clothed in white (see Is 63). “Dipped in blood” (His past victories won by His shed blood). On His thigh is written “King of kings and Lord of lords”—indicating His sovereignty over ever creature and nation. (God is not a pluralist—there is no Hindu heaven; Buddhist heaven; Muslim heaven; for all these religions reject Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.)
19:17-21 – Describes the most frightening holocaust in human history. And the slayer who is doing the slaying in this holocaust is Christ Himself. This is the Battle of Armageddon. This battle is the pinnacle of the Day of the Lord. When God is angry He uses biting satire. These enemies of His that have heartlessly killed believers (men, women, and children) will become food for vultures. It is called the supper of God. And men of every rank are on the menu. The invitations are sent out to the vultures of the world to dine on their flesh (‘all flesh is grass’).
CHAP 20 – The 1000 year earthly reign of Christ is described in vv. 1-10. Believers of every age will resurrect to reign with Christ—this is the first resurrection (blessed are those who have a part in the first resurrection. You do not want to be part of the second resurrection—it is only for the damned). It is a reign of peace with a greatly reduced curse. Satan is bound. War is no more. But this is not heaven as of yet. Satan will be released at the end of the millennium to perform one final deception before being resigned to the pit of torment forever.
I believe there are numerous lessons in this final revolt before the end of time. Before the end of time, mankind will have operated under at least six different divine economies (innocence; conscience; government; law; grave; the earthly rule of Messiah). We learn that mankind under every conceivable arrangement is in need of being confirmed in righteousness; is in need of regeneration (a new heart); is in need of living by God’s counsel (His Word); is in need of God’s rule over his life. Otherwise his heart is truant, darkened, and deceived. He becomes an enemy of God under Lucifer’s counsel—and only redemption through Christ can reverse this.
A most sobering word picture is drawn of all the lost of every age appearing before God—billions and billions of individuals. Death and Hades, the earth, the sea—every place gives up the dead—there is no escape—the unrighteous dead from every place are gathered.
This is the resurrection of condemnation. These people are judged by their works; their deeds. What a terrible deception Satan has foisted on people—they think that they have a better than average chance of going to heaven based on their works alone. How tragic is that deception. Every person who is part of the second resurrection will be cast into hell. They will receive their final bodies in which they will be tormented forever. Not one person makes it to heaven based upon their works. No one is saved BUT those who names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
CHAP 21 – Only when every stumbling block; every enemy of God’s glory; every rebel has been rounded up and permanently incarcerated in eternal hell does God make a new heaven and a new earth. This is God’s dream so to speak—He makes His permanent abode with a portion of mankind—a new humanity formed around the Person of Christ.
It ought to be evident from what we have seen tonight that no one slides and coasts into heaven. Heaven’s citizens are described as ‘overcomers’. Hell’s residents as those who did not overcome but were overcome by sin. The second half of this chapter is an amazing account of the New Jerusalem. It is repeated in this section that its residents are ONLY those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (21:27). (Think of it: a 1500 mile square cube descending to hover above a planetary Eden.)
Going to heaven is the limitless presence of the Lord in a recreated universe with not a single residual effect of sin anywhere. Pearl gates (oyster flesh is torn to extract the precious pearl. Christ’s flesh was torn to give us priceless eternal life and glory).
CHAP 22 – Is a continuing description of heaven. And then Jesus tells John to write a final call to repentance and faith. Cast your pride in the dust, repentance is the most important and the hardest work in the world. It is opposed by our pride. We are holdouts. We would rather face the eternal wrath of God than admit that God is so right—incredibly right and we are so wrong—incredibly wrong. Delayed repentance is the hardest work of all. To sit under gospel teaching for years and to have not truly repented is a terrifying prospect. The hardness of heart is so serious.
In vv. 12-14 Christ identifies Himself as Judge of all people. And we are told again that the only individuals in heaven are those who have washed their robes (through the gospel of Christ). Now the antithesis—those who are outside of heaven are described.
Then, the last offer of mercy in the entire Bible is given (v. 17). Salvation is still free because it is paid for by Christ. You cannot earn it; transact for it; clean up your life for it; barter for it. It is a gift given to those who believe and repent. Why perish? The water of life is without cost.
What you do with the Scriptures, God’s revelation is a reliable revealer of your spiritual state. Do you doubt it; distort it; twist it; deny it—you are sentencing yourself to be under the wrath of God. The blessing promised to those who read the book of Revelation is a blessing reserved for those who heed the things written in this book.