Revelation (Written)

Friday, 19 March 2021

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8

This continues to refer to the beast rising out of the sea mentioned in verse 13:1. It is an entity led by the antichrist. Of this beast, John now writes, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him.” The authority and scope of rule of this entity will presumably cover the entire planet. As of today, independent nations follow their own paths, and they connect to, or disconnect from, other nations as they see fit.

However, at the time of this beast, nations will become a part of this main leadership whether they like it or not. It is certain that some will participate even if they don’t agree with the overall direction of authority because Jesus speaks of separating the sheep from the goats after this time of tribulation is over. Matthew 25:32 shows that these terms are not referring to individuals, but to nations. The nations will become a part of this ruling system.

A good example of what will occur might be the nations subdued by Nazi Germany. They became a part of the alliance, but they also remained sovereign nations and often had underground fighters working against the Nazis. However, an outward allegiance to the Nazis was professed by those in leadership. This may be a similar scenario as to what lies ahead. As John says, “whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

It should be noted that the words “from the foundation of the earth” could be referring to either “Book of Life” or “Lamb slain.” If the former, it would agree with Peter’s words –

“but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” 1 Peter 1:19, 20

If it refers to the book, it would correspond to Revelation 17:8 –

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

In the end, both are true. Christ was ordained from before the foundation of the world, and God also knew before the foundation of the world who would believe and be saved. With that understanding, the Bible is making both explicitly clear, that God is omniscient. As this is so, all will come out exactly as His word is written, and we have no worry that things today, or into the future, are somehow out of control.

Christ was ordained to die for our sin, He has died for our sin, and therefore our sin is atoned for in Him. As this is so, we are forever free from condemnation. This is true with any who believe. Even in the tribulation period, God knows who are His and who are not.

Life application: There is an important lesson to remember in this verse – “Not every ‘every’ in the Bible means every, and not all ‘all’s’ in the Bible mean all.” In other words, it is important to take seemingly absolute claims in context. A good example is Matthew 2:3 –

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Obviously, from the context of this verse, it is speaking of the general leadership of Jerusalem. At the time of the announcement of Jesus’ birth, probably very few in Jerusalem had heard a thing, and they went about their lives untroubled by the events that occurred in the king’s palace.

In Revelation 13:8, the words “all who dwell on the earth” refer to the vast majority who will worship the great beast – not every person. How can we know this? Because the previous verse says that “it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” There can’t be a war with the saints unless there are saints to make war with.

These saints will be a part of this battle, even until the return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. For those who are not saints, meaning those “whose names have not been written in the Book of Life” there will be a casting away of the truth of the Creator to follow the beast, headed by the antichrist.

Because the power of the antichrist comes from the devil, these people will actually be worshiping and giving allegiance to Satan. This is the state of the world even today. All false religions are of the devil. The tribulation period will merely magnify this rebelling against “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The amazing truth of this verse, a verse which must be carefully contemplated, is that even before the world was created, God knew that His Son would have to go to the cross and die to pay our sin debt. Because this is so, the willful rejection of Him can only lead to one thing – eternal separation from God and being cast into the Lake of Fire.

God has shown us what is right and how to obtain eternal life. We reject this at our own destruction. Be wise and discerning. Call out today to God for salvation. Call out for His provision as is found only in JESUS.

O God, it is simply beyond our ability to fully comprehend, even though we know it is true –before You created a single thing, You knew what would have to happen – that Your Own Son would need to die for the sins of the people not yet created. And yet You created us anyway. What a wonderful love You have expressed for the work of Your hands, even your wayward children. May all come to realize this, and may all hail the name of Jesus! Amen.

Thursday, 18 March 2021

It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. Revelation 13:7

The words refer to the beast rising out of the sea (13:1). It will be a beast led by the antichrist. It was said in verse 13:5 that he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. Now, it says, “It was granted to him to make war with the saints.”

This same satanic power, given to him to speak great things, is also behind his desire and ability to destroy the saints. This is a reference to the words of Daniel 7:21 –

“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them.”

The horn of Daniel 7 refers to the antichrist now being described again in Revelation. He will be the leader of the beast. The saints are any who are believers in Christ. They are those that will make up the great white robed multitude referred to in Revelation 7 –

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” Revelation 7:9, 10

They will understand who Christ is after the rapture has taken place, they will put their trust in Him, and they will refuse to be a part of the global system that is set up. The antichrist will have the power to come against them, “and to overcome them.”

It is exactly what Daniel prophesied with the words, “making war against the saints, and prevailing against them.” The powers he will wield will stretch around the globe, and there will be no place safe to hide. John confirms this thought with the words, “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.”

Some manuscripts add in the words “and people.” Either way, the extent of his rule over the planet will be complete. The term used here expresses that all humanity will fall under his authority. What John is saying was also stated in Daniel 7 –

“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25

Since the time of the Tower of Babel, the population of the world has never been united in such a way as will occur under his rule. The only ones who will not comply with his authority will be those who have a higher allegiance, meaning they have bowed the knee to Christ alone.

Life application: In the last three- and one-half years of the tribulation period, the antichrist will be “granted” the ability to come against the saints and to overcome them. This wicked person has no true power or authority of his own. He is working on behalf of Satan, and even Satan is bound to what the Lord will allow – something we learn from the first chapter of the book of Job.

Just because the antichrist has been granted authority to make war against these people and to “overcome them,” it doesn’t mean he has any true authority over them. Rather, Jesus holds their eternal destiny in His powerful grasp. Death for them is only temporary. At the end of the tribulation, they will be raised to eternal life.

The rest of the world will be under the authority of the antichrist, and they will pay for it with eternal consequences. There is a difference – some will die and receive eternal rewards, while others will die and receive eternal condemnation. Jesus is the key to both – either accepting Him or rejecting Him is the most important decision anyone can ever make. Be sure to call out for salvation today. Be sure to call out for JESUS!

Lord, the blessing of dying peacefully in this life is of no value at all when compared to the eternal blessing of being saved by the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Help us to get our priorities right, and give us the courage and strength to use this life for Your glory, even if it means death for Your name’s sake. Amen.

Wednesday, 17 March 2021

Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. Revelation 13:6

There are a couple of variations in source texts for this verse. One is that the word “blasphemy” is plural in some of them. The other is that the word “and” is not included in the final clause. Thus, it would say –

“And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” NASB 1977

This would make the final clause an explanation of the previous clauses rather than a second category.

Concerning the words of the verse as rendered by the NKJV, the conduct of the antichrist referred to in the previous verse is now detailed. Of him, John says, “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God.”

The antichrist, who speaks for the great beast of verse 13:1, will openly defy the true God through his blasphemies. This is a railing against the God who is revealed in nature as Paul proclaims in Romans 1. His attacks will defame the character of the Creator – His grace, mercy, truth, love, righteousness, holiness, justice, and so forth. He will proclaim that which is contrary to these eternal and unchanging standards.

Only God, as revealed in the Bible, can truly be God, because only He can atone for sins as was accomplished through Jesus Christ. Any other “god,” made up by man, will compromise at least one of these unchanging attributes, thus proving he is not God at all. Only the Creator, through Jesus, is both Just and the Justifier of the people of the world.

To speak against the true God is to speak blasphemy against Him. But the antichrist will go further and also “blaspheme His name.” This is a direct attack against the very nature of who God is, because God’s name is a self-revelation of His eternal and unchanging character. When God spoke to Moses, “I AM who I AM,” He was stating that He is – without change of any kind. He is the self-existent, timeless, perfect God from whom creation finds its source and its continuation because the created order came from nothing by His spoken word.

But more, this certainly means that He will speak against the name of Jesus, the full and perfect expression of who God is, as He has revealed Himself within the stream of time and human existence. Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) means “Salvation.” The antichrist will certainly proclaim that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4) and claim that he, rather than Jesus, is the way of salvation. He may do this by jointly denying all religions, or he may do it by speaking out against the exclusivity of the Christian gospel. Either way, it is certain that he will deny the premise of Christianity.

The antichrist will also blaspheme “His tabernacle.” This is a specific and direct reference to the Person of Jesus Christ. The word “tabernacle” means the place where God dwells. In John 1:14, we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” In this verse, a literal translation of “dwelt” would be “tabernacled.”

God’s true tabernacle is the Person of Jesus. Jesus is the One who reveals the unseen Father to us, and He is the One through whom we receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to blaspheme God’s tabernacle is to defame the Person and the work of Jesus Christ – speaking against His atonement, His all-sufficiency, and that He is the only way to be restored to God – His exclusivity. Instead, the antichrist will proclaim falsities about these things in order to establish his own supposed avenue to heaven.

Finally, the verse says he will blaspheme “those who dwell in heaven.” As noted above, if this is an explanation of the previous clauses, it simply reaffirms what they have already stated. He is speaking blasphemy against God, His name, and His tabernacle. If this is another category, it would refer to the entire heavenly host – from the highest archangel to the last saint taken to glory. All who are in heaven stand sinless before God because of the work of Jesus Christ – either directly, such as the angels who were created by Him and who never sinned, or the humans redeemed by His atoning sacrifice, having their sins washed by His precious blood.

If the latter, the antichrist will make claims that what occurred in these people wasn’t of any value and that Christians aren’t the people of God. His claims will be very similar to those of cults, false religions, and even liberal “Christians” of today. Anyone who denies the fundamental tenets of the faith, and the work of Jesus Christ in its fullness, is already of the spirit of the antichrist as stated by John in His first epistle (1 John 2:18).

This person in Revelation will be the ultimate example of such a person, having been filled by the power of Satan. His blasphemies will be great.

Life application: Among other things, the Bible is a message to the people of the world about God. It reveals who He is, what He is like, and how to have a personal, restored, relationship with Him. This message of restoration, however, is one of absolute exclusivity. There is one way, and one way alone, for the people of the world to be reconciled to Him. Before the coming of Christ, it was faith in God’s promise of a coming Messiah. Since the coming of Christ, it remains faith – but it is properly directed faith in the Messiah who has come.

There is this one path to salvation, and it comes by one means only – faith in what God has done in the giving of His Son. Have faith. Call on God’s Messiah today. Call on JESUS.

Heavenly Father, it is beyond comprehension how merciful and patient You are. You allow us to strive against You, speak against You, and bring great blasphemies against You, and yet You don’t destroy us. Your patience is incredible as You wait for us to turn and call out to You. Thank You for Your mercy on those of us who have acted this way in the past but who have now had a change in heart. Thank You for the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, 16 March 2021

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Revelation 13:5

The words of this verse are referring to the beast of the previous verse. It was asked, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” The world will look to this great power and follow after it because of its great authority. A great power is generally noted as such because of a great leader. This is not always the case. For example, the United States has been considered a great power even with really crummy leaders.

However, at times, a nation or group of nations is thought as great because of its leader. Such was the case with Nazi Germany. One can hardly think of it without also associating it with Hitler. In the case of this great end-times beast, it too will be great, but it will have a leader that will be the focus of it. Its power will be wielded by him. And more, John says of the beast, “And he was given a mouth speaking great things.”

This is a reference to what is said in Daniel 7:8 –

“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

The term “pompous words” is literally translated from the Aramaic “great things.”  This end-times leader will be charismatic and able to utter words to convince all of his own greatness, and that the power he yields is without match. John also says, “and blasphemies.”

This indicates that this ruler (the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2:3), who is the antichrist, will speak against God. He will claim that it is he who is the savior of the world. Paul clearly states this of him in 2 Thessalonians. He says it is he “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Understanding this, John next says, “and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”

The words, “and he was given,” speak of allowance. In other words, he only has what he has received, and he has received only because God has allowed it to be so. Recorded millennia ago, the prophecies of Daniel 9 foretold these events would come, and that they will occur in connection with the presence of this man of sin. Paul then gives more details for the world to understand who he would be and what the state of the world will be like. After that, John has confirmed the allowed span of time saying that his authority will continue for forty-two months.

This is exactly what the first half of Daniel 9:27 said would occur –

“Then 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.”

A week here means seven years. Seven years are granted, but at the halfway mark of those seven years, this antichrist will sit “as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” One-half of seven years is forty-two months. The timeline has been given, the details have been explained, and John confirms the overall scenario for the end times once again in Revelation.

This is the time of disaster that Jesus spoke of for the Jews of the end times. Everything needed to understand the scenario has been given. If they will pay heed, they will be prepared to make their flight into the mountains.

Life application: The words of Daniel 9 are directed to the people of Israel. Jesus was speaking to the people of Israel when He referred to these coming events in the synoptic gospels. Paul’s timeline clearly shows that the church will not be present when these events occur. And John’s words now in Revelation fully support the notion that the main events of Revelation are focused on the nation of Israel.

For those who believe the church has replaced Israel, there is a sad disconnect between their understanding the covenants and of the faithfulness of the Lord in relation to those covenants. It is no wonder pastors and preachers teach that one can lose his salvation. If covenant faithfulness is up to us, such would be the case. But it is not. When the Lord speaks, He will be faithful, even when those He covenants with are unfaithful.

Have faith in the promises of the Lord, even when you fail Him. He has been faithful to unfaithful Israel for millennia, and He will be faithful to see you through the end that He agreed to when you received His offer of pardon and peace. That was the day you received JESUS.

Lord God, thank You for our hope. Thank You for the giving of Your Son so that we have full, final, and forever restoration with You because of Him. We thank You and praise You for our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Monday, 15 March 2021

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Revelation 13:4

The beast rising out of the sea was introduced in 13:1. In 13:3, it was noted that one of its heads had been mortally wounded, and yet it was healed. With that noted, John then said, “And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”

As was stated then, this is most probably referring to a nation that suffered such a crushing defeat financially, militarily, or so on. So great was the defeat that it seemed it could not ever recover, and yet it did. It was as if it was resurrected to life. In this event, the whole world marveled after it.

This is not out of the realm of possibility. Germany was utterly crushed in the first world war, and yet they came back as a massive force within a short time. This incredible revival came to pass, and the world marveled at it. The head of this beast is miraculously healed, and John says, “So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast.”

The beast is the end-times alliance of nations described in 13:1, 2. Satan will be the force behind it, and the antichrist will be the main leader of it. Just as those who followed Hitler glorified the greatness of the empire, casting their allegiance to the satanic power behind it, so will be the case with those who follow after this beast. As it next says, “and they worshiped the beast.”

Humans are prone to worshiping powerful governments. They worshiped and followed Nazi Germany, they worshiped and followed communist regimes, and they have worshiped and followed nations like the UK and the USA. When a nation is powerful, it becomes a source of idol worship. Such an instance will be true with this end times alliance. The people will be saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

It has been the constant call of humanity for whatever great nation or alliance that has existed. It is true of the USA today. Someday, it will be true of this beast of the end times. So great will be its power that people who follow it will consider it a force above all others.

Life application: At times in the Old Testament, the question is raised, “Who is like the Lord?” One such example is found in Exodus 15:11 –

“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

There is but one God. We don’t need the Bible to be able to figure that out, however, the Bible reveals this one God to us. He is the Creator of all things. The earth is like an insignificant grain of dust in the vastness of the cosmos, and yet it is more of creation than any other being has ever created – because a created being can’t create anything.

Despite this, the people of the world will see the beast’s power and decide that it is worth worshiping. When they do this, they are actually worshiping the devil who gave the beast its power in the first place. This is the nature of all false religions. They either directly or indirectly worship Satan, because anything that doesn’t worship God – as He has revealed Himself – is wrongly directed worship.

With this in mind, John – in his first epistle – gives the main reason that Jesus came. Every other reason mentioned in Scripture for Jesus’ coming is tied up in this final concept – “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

This is obviously not a popular concept with people who don’t align themselves with the Christian message, but either it is true, or it is not true. If it isn’t, then Jesus’ ministry was a waste of time, and He died for no reason at all. But the truth of John’s statement assures us that the whole world is under the sway of the devil. It is Jesus alone who can change that.

Calling on Jesus is the most important choice anyone can ever make. Be sure to do the research, consider what God has done, and then make the smart choice. Call out to God through His Christ. Call out to Him through JESUS.

Lord God, we wonder how anyone could be so hugely stupid as to worship the devil? But when we realize that this is the default position of all people, it no longer seems so silly. Instead, it shows us the enormity of what Jesus has done and the great work He accomplished for us. He alone can lead us back to You. Thank You, O God, for Jesus. Amen.