Revelation 10:1-11; 11:1-19
[7/10/11]
Review:
Revelation 9:17-21) (GW) In the vision that I had, the horses and their riders looked like this: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, pale blue, and yellow. The horses had heads like lions. Fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.
18) (GW) These three plagues-the fire, smoke, and sulfur which came out of their mouths-killed one-third of humanity.
19) (GW) The power of these horses is in their mouths and their tails. (Their tails have heads like snakes which they use to hurt people.)
QUESTION: Will these horses, and their riders, really look like the picture presented in this prophecy?
ANSWER: Of course not! God is showing a first century A.D. man, John, a modern day event. He showed John in pictures he could understand. He knew about horses, lions, and serpents. He didn’t know about Army Stykers with grenade launchers and 50 caliber machine guns; he didn’t know about traditional tanks; he didn’t know about the M67 flamethrower tank. These vehicles would certainly produce “fire, smoke, and brimstone.”
20) (GW) The people who survived these plagues still did not turn to me and change the way they were thinking and acting. If they had, they would have stopped worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk.
21) (GW) They did not turn away from committing murder, practicing witchcraft, sinning sexually, or stealing.
QUESTION: What were the sins of the unredeemed that God said they would not repent of?
ANSWER: Idol worship, murder, witchcraft, sexual sins, and stealing.
QUESTION: Why wouldn’t all these plagues cause them to repent?
ANSWER: It didn’t cause repentance in Egypt either.
Let’s Look At Verse 15 Again:
Revelation 9:15) (GW) The four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity.
QUESTION: When will China revolt against the Anti-Christ?
ANSWER: They will revolt 13 months, 1 day, and 1 hour prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
QUESTION: Where will this revolt end?
ANSWER: It will end in Armegeddon.
On To This Week’s Lesson:
Revelation 10:1-11) (GW) I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet were like columns of fire.
2) (GW) He held a small, opened scroll in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left on the land.
3) (GW) Then he shouted in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke with voices of their own.
4) (GW) When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write it down. I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don’t write it down.”
5) (GW) The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.
6) (GW) He swore an oath by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay.
7) (GW) In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be completed, as he had made this Good News known to his servants, the prophets.”
8) (GW) The voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, “Take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9) (GW) I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10) (GW) I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it was bitter in my stomach.
11) (GW) The seven thunders told me, “Again you must speak what God has revealed in front of many people, nations, languages, and kings.”
QUESTION: What’s sweet about Bible prophecy? What’s bitter?
ANSWER: The sweetness is in knowing that God wins; the bitterness is in knowing the end of unbelievers.
Revelation 11:1-19) (GW) Then I was given a stick like a measuring stick. I was told, “Stand up and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count those who worship there.
2) (GW) But do not measure the temple courtyard. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.
3) (GW) I will allow my two witnesses who wear sackcloth to speak what God has revealed. They will speak for 1,260 days.”
4) (GW) These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth.
5) (GW) If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of the witnesses’ mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed the same way.
6) (GW) These witnesses have authority to shut the sky in order to keep rain from falling during the time they speak what God has revealed. They have authority to turn water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague as often as they want.
7) (GW) When the witnesses finish their testimony, the beast which comes from the bottomless pit will fight them, conquer them, and kill them.
8) (GW) Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the important city where their Lord was crucified. The spiritual names of that city are Sodom and Egypt.
9) (GW) For 3 1/2 days some members of the people, tribes, languages, and nations will look at the witnesses’ dead bodies and will not allow anyone to bury them.
10) (GW) Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses’ death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
11) (GW) After 3 1/2 days the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who watched them.
12) (GW) The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13) (GW) At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.
QUESTION: What miraculous power do the two witnesses have?
ANSWER: 1) When the speak it, a fire destroys their enemies. 2) The can speak and stop the rain, causing draught. 3) They can turn water into blood. 4) They can strike the earth with plagues.
QUESTION: Who are these two witnesses?
ANSWER: The argument can be made that they are Elijah and Moses:
1. They were the two Old Testament saints that appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. [Matthew 17:1-8]
2. The first two miraculous powers exercised by the two witnesses were powers exercised by Elijah.
[II Kings 1:10] [II Kings 17:1]
3. The last two miraculous powers they exercised were powers exercised by Moses. [Exodus 7:15-17] [Exodus; chapters 7-11]
The argument can be made that they are Elijah and Enoch:
1. It’s appointed unto man to die once. [Hebrews 9:27]
2. Enoch never died. [Genesis 5:21-24]
3. Elijah never died. [II Kings 2:8-11]
NOTE: I personally believe that they will be Elijah and Moses. I believe the similarity of miraculous powers points to the same God, rather than the same man. I’m convinced that Moses will not die a second time, but Enoch will die a first time.
QUESTION: Why will these two witnesses be a tremendous embarrassment to the Anti-Christ?
ANSWER: He claims to be God but he can’t shut the two witnesses up.
14) (GW) The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe will soon be here.
15) (GW) When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule as king forever and ever.”
QUESTION: What were the first and second “catastrophes”?
ANSWER: They were the events that happened when the fifth and sixth angels blew their trumpets.
QUESTION: Then what will the third “catastrophe” be?
ANSWER: It will be the events that happen when the seventh angel blows his trumpet.
16) (GW) Then the 24 leaders, who were sitting on their thrones in God’s presence, immediately bowed, worshiped God,
17) (GW) and said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun ruling as king.
18) (GW) The nations were angry, but your anger has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged: to reward your servants, the prophets, your holy people, and those who fear your name, no matter if they are important or unimportant, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19) (GW) God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his promise was seen inside his temple. There was lightning, noise, thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
QUESTION: What happens when the seventh angel blows his trumpet?
ANSWER: There is an announcement in Heaven that God and His Messiah will begin to reign on earth. This is pointing to the fulfillment of the sixth seal and the seventh vial; i.e., Armageddon.
NOTE: Once again, here’s a reminder of the similarities of the Trumpet Judgments and the Vial/Bowl Judgments.
7 Trumpet Judgments: 7 Vial/Bowl Judgments:
1) 1/3 vegetation destroyed 1) Painful sores
2) 1/3 of seas become blood 2) All seas become blood
3) 1/3 drinking water becomes blood 3) All drinking water becomes blood
4) 1/3 of day and night darkened 4) Agonizing heat causing severe sunburn
5) Torment, but no death 5) Total darkness
6) China revolts against Anti-Christ 6) River Euphrates dries up
7) Announcement of Armageddon 7) Armageddon