The prelude to the sounding of the 7th trumpet continues after the mighty angel, whose feet planted on the sea and the earth has announced that there would be no more delay for the mystery of God to be accomplished as foretold by the prophets, and asked John to eat the scroll (chapter 10):
11:1-2—The Measuring of God’s Temple
(1) Recall what John was told to do right after the eating of the scroll (10:11).
(2) Now he is given a reed:
a. What is he told to measure?
b. What is he told to count?
c. Why he is not to measure the “outer court”?
d. What then is the purpose or meaning of “to measure” and “to count”?
e. Who will trample on the holy city and for how long?(see Note below)
11:3-14—The Two Witnesses: In order to understand this passage, I would suggest that you read Zech. 4:11-14; Exod. 7:14-18; 1 Ki. 17:1; 2 Ki. 1:10; 2:11 and Lk. 9:30 in advance.
(3) The two witnesses (i) are given power, (ii) will prophesy, (iii) for a period of 1,260 days (i.e. 42 Jewish months), and (iv) are clothed in sack cloth.
a. As two olive trees, where does their power come from? (See the passage in Zechariah above.)
b. What do the “golden lampstands” stand for? (see 1:20; 2:1)
c. What does wearing sack cloth signify about their message? (see Jer. 4:8)
(4) How will they protect themselves? Which prophet in the OT is known for sending fire to devour his enemy? (v. 5; see 2 Ki. 1:10)
(5) What other miracles will they perform as part of their witnessing? (v. 6)
(6) Which prophets in the OT are known for such miracles? (see Exod. 7:14-18; 1 Ki. 17:1)
(7) At the time of Jesus’ transfiguration, which two prophets appear to talk to Him about His death? (see Lk. 9:30)
(8) At the end of their ministry (vv. 7-13)
a. Who will rise and put them to death? (v. 7)
b. What clue is provided for us concerning the identity of the “great city” where their bodies will be exposed? (v. 8; Sodom is a symbol for wickedness [Gen. 13:13; Jer. 23:14]; Egypt the oppressor [Exod. 3:9; Jdg. 6:9])
c. How do the inhabitants of the earth greet their death? Why? (vv. 9-10)
d. How does God rescue His witnesses? (vv. 11-12) Which OT prophet are you reminded of?
e. What temporal judgment does God inflict upon the people? (v. 13)
f. How will the survivors (in the city) respond to God’s judgment?
(9) Many commentators see the two witnesses as a symbol of the church during the Great Tribulation and are not actual characters. What do you think?
a. Which verses might favor the first interpretation?
b. Which verses might fit only “individual characters”?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
This is a passage “universally recognized as difficult to interpret” (NICNT, 211) and all I can do is to offer my personal observation in that based on the context of this vision the temple refers to the one on earth and the measuring and counting are a symbol of preservation. Therefore, it is obvious that “we have the paradox that, on the one hand, the community will be sheltered, and on the other hand, the unprotected community will be trampled” (NICNT, 214-5). The only question is: “who is the community protected and who is the community trampled?” The 42 months correspond to Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 and since the temple is an earthly one (in the vision), and if the 144,000 sealed by God (7:4-8) symbolizes the remnant of Israel saved (Rom. 11:26), then the unprotected would be Gentile believers who turn to Christ during the time of the Great Tribulation.
“They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” (Rev. 11:2)
“In John's imagery the holy city is yet another designation for the church. The faithful are to be trampled underfoot by paganism for a period of forty-two months. The background for this is the prophecy concerning Antiochus Epiphanes in Daniel 8:9-14. There the sanctuary is to be trampled underfoot by the little horn for 2,300 days. Then it is to be re-consecrated (Dan. 8:14). Likewise the church is to be oppressed and profaned by the beast out of the Abyss (Rev. 11:7), but it will not be destroyed. To what extent its victory will be triumph through death or continued existence on earth is not clear. In either case the promise of Jesus in Matt 16:18 that 'the powers of the underworld shall never overthrow [the church]' (Williams) is carried through.
"The temporal designation of 42 months (11:2; 13:5) is also given in Revelation as 1,260 days (11:3; 12:6) and 'a time, times and half a time' (12:14). Its primary reference is to the period of Jewish suffering under the Syrian despot Antiochus Epiphanes in 167-164 B.C. It became a standard symbol for that limited period of time during which evil would be allowed free rein. It is ‘the conventional period in apocalyptic literature for the temporary triumph of evil before the end of the age. In Luke 21:24 it is called 'the times of the Gentiles’. The repeated use of the various designations in Revelation and the contexts in which they appear serves to point out that the periods of final witness, divine protection, and pagan antagonism are simultaneous.”
(NICOT, 215)
While the 1,260 days or 42 months might be a round number, I am personally inclined to take it more literally, as Daniel gives what appears to be a more precise timeframe concerning “the times of the Gentiles” as follows:
“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.” (Dan. 12:11-12)
The theme of the “three woes” announced by the flying eagle (8:13) is now resumed: The 1st woe is the 5th trumpet (see 9:12), followed by the 2nd woe which logically is the 6th trumpet (see 9:13ff) and now the sounding of the 7th trumpet signifies the 3rd woe:
11:15-19—The 7th Trumpet
(1) At the sounding of the 7th trumpet, what do the voices in heaven declare? (11:15)
(2) What does it mean and what can we expect to happen?
(3) The 24 elders in heaven respond with worship and praise (11:16-19). Let’s reflect on the contents of their praise:
a. Whom do they address God as? (11:17a)
b. For what do the elders give thanks? (11:17b) What does it mean?
c. How have the nations treated their Creator God? (11:18a; Ps. 2:1-3; Gen. 11:4)
d. The sounding of the 7th trumpet signifies the time for God’s judgment and reward (fuller details of which will be the subject of the rest of the revelation):
- Who are to be judged?
- Who are to be rewarded?
(4) The temple in heaven (11:19)—Consider these questions, as the scene changes back to heaven:
a. What does the “opening” of God’s temple in heaven signify as it is accompanied by lightning and earthquake etc.?
b. The ark of His covenant is seen:
- Where is the ark of the covenant placed in the earthly temple? (Heb. 9:3-4)
- What did it signify? (Exod. 25:22)
- What then does the “seeing” of the ark of the covenant in the opened heavenly temple signify? (Heb. 10:19)
12:1-6—The birth of the Savior re-enacted
(5) The woman is a sign in heaven (12:1-2)
a. What do the 12 stars stand for? (see Gen. 37:9)
b. If the 12 stars stand for the 12 patriarchs of Israel, what do the rest of the symbols of the sun, moon and crowns stand for in terms of Israel’s status among the nations of the earth?
c. How does her crying in birth-pain illustrate the pain of suffering of Israel? (see Isa. 26:17; Mic. 4:9-10)
(6) The sign of a dragon (12:3-4)—The dragon is identified as Satan in 12:9 and he is described as:
a. An enormous red dragon: What might this signify?
b. Having seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns. What might these symbolize? (see Note 1 below)
c. What does the flying of stars to earth suggest? (see Dan. 8:9-10)
d. What did he intend to do with the woman’s child? (See Matt. 2)
(7) The birth and ascension of Christ (12:5-6)
a. Who is this child given birth by the woman? (12:5a; Ps. 2:9; Gen. 49:10; Rev. 19:15)
b. Where is this child now? (12:5b, Mk. 16:19; Eph. 1:20)
(8) Divine protection of the woman (12:6)
a. How long will the woman be protected? (see 11:1-2)
b. Where will she flee to for protection? (see Note 2 below)
c. Given the context of this vision, who might this woman symbolize?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
"The red color of the dragon…symbolizes the murderous
character of Satan (Jn. 8:44)…the number ‘seven’ (is) a symbol of
completeness…that the beast out of the sea has ten horns and seven heads (13:1;
cf. 17:12) indicates that Satan’s earthly emissaries are like him in their destructive
power. The crowns…are Satan’s
presumptuous claim of royal power over against the ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS’ upon whose head are many diadems (19:12, 16)."
(NICNT, 233)
Note
2:
No one is sure about what or where the desert is, except that many scholars agree that desert or wilderness is likely a symbol for divine protection and intimate fellowship as the Exodus experience of Israel suggests.
“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” (Rev. 12:1)
From the context of chapter 12, there is little doubt that “in this symbolism (the woman) we must discern the chosen people of God” (TNTC, 152). Indeed, apart from the description given in 12:1 about the woman, the giving of birth to the child “who will rule the nations with an iron scepter” (Psalm 2) undoubtedly refers to the Christ child who is “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1).
However, we must ask why would such a sign of the historical fact of Christ’s birth through the Chosen People be shown at the sounding of the 7th trumpet, since basically all the rest of the revelation deal with the future?
I believe there are at least two reasons for the “re-telling” of the birth of Christ at this important juncture of human history and the accomplishment of “God’s mystery” (10:7):
(1) It reminds us of the tremendous privilege of this election of the people of Israel by God: Among the nations on earth, their election as God’s people gives them a glorious status among God’s creation which is symbolized by her clothing of the sun (the supreme glory endowed upon them), the stepping of the moon under her feet (the authority even over God’s creation) and her crown of twelve stars (representing the kingly status of Israel’s twelve tribes among all nations). This particular sign from heaven signifies that God has not forgotten about His election; God has not forgotten about them. And
(2) The rest of the revelation ushered by the sounding of the 7th trumpet is about the realization of His promise of the restoration of Israel as “He announced to His servants the prophets” (10:7). More importantly, such a realization is only brought about by the death and resurrection of this Christ Child who has been snatched up to God and His throne, and, upon whose return, will rule all the nations with an iron scepter (12:5).
Since we have been drafted into the same status through Christ (Rom. 11:24), we are now part-takers of such a glorious status as well! Isn’t that amazing!
12:7-9—The Battle in Heaven—The redemptive work of Christ is now depicted by a fierce battle in the heavenly realm (in essence vv. 7-14 is an elaboration of vv. 5-6)
(1) Who are engaged in this fierce battle in heaven? (v. 7)
(2) Who is Michael? (see Jude 9; Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1)
(3) What is the outcome of this battle? (v. 9)
(4) How does Jesus speak about this result? (Lk. 10:18; Jn. 12:31)
(5) The identity of this dragon (v. 9)
a. Why is he called the ancient serpent? (see Gen. 3:1ff)
b. As the devil or Satan, what has he done? (Apart from Gen. 3, see also Jn. 13:2; Lk. 22:31, 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:3 etc. concerning the work of Satan. See Note below as well.)
12:10-12—Rejoicing in Heaven
(6) What is the implication of the defeat of Satan? (v. 10a)
(7) Before Satan is hurled down from heaven, what did he use to do before God day and night? (v. 10b; see Job 1:6-11; Zech. 3:1)
(8) On earth, we also have become “overcomers” of Satan, the Accuser (v. 11),
a. By the blood of the lamb. How so? (1:5; Rom. 8:32-34; 1 Cor. 15:55-57)
b. By the word of our testimony. How so? (v. 11b)
(9) What will Satan be doing as he is hurled down to earth? Should we be afraid of him? Why or why not? (v. 12b; Matt. 10:28)
12:13-17—Satan’s Final Assault
(10) V. 6 has already alluded to God’s protection of the “woman” (the Chosen People) for 1,260 days:
a. How is the period of 1,260 days rephrased in v. 14?
b. What does the giving of the two wings of a great eagle symbolize? (Exod. 19:4)
(11) God’s protection–vv. 15-16 contain subjects of many speculations:
a. What kind of picture does a river of torrent depict? (I tend to think of Satan’s use of the nations of the world, like a torrent, to seek to wipe out the nation of Israel, God’s Chosen People. What do you think?)
b. What might the opening of the mouth of the earth indicate? (see Num. 16:30)
(12) While the “woman” is protected, who are left to face the onslaught of Satan on earth during this time (likely the 1,260 days)?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“He is
both the devil (the word means
‘slander’) and Satan. This latter is the older name. It transliterates a Hebrew word which means
‘adversary’…But the term came to be used for the adversary of mankind, the
spirit that accused people before God, such as Job (Job 1:6) and Joshua the
high priest (Zech. 3:1). The title
‘Accuser’, ‘Satan’, became attached to him in an exclusive sense.”
(TNTC, 156)
“For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down.” (Rev. 12:10)
Many tend to think of the scene of the court of Heaven wherein Satan came to accuse Job (in Job 1) as purely symbolic. However, the vision of the battle in the heavenly realm between the Archangel Michael and Satan in Revelation 12 is certainly a real battle in which Satan is defeated and is driven out once-for-all from Heaven. Even Jesus speaks of this battle and says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk. 10:18).
Revelation 12 further affirms that before Satan is hurled down from heaven, he is “the accuser of our brothers who accuses them before our God days and night” (12:10b). In other words, the scene in Job 1 is not symbolic. Satan does come before God and accuse us day and night.
If we look at ourselves, we know that we
still have many weaknesses and sins that Satan can use to accuse us before God,
but the Apostle Paul reminds us that we are already “overcomers” of the
Accuser, because
“If God is for us, who can be against us…Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Rom. 8:31, 33-34)
This also reminds us that, as much as we see weaknesses and sins in the lives of other brothers and sisters, we do not join Satan and accuse them before God; rather, we need to join our Lord Jesus in interceding for them before the throne of God instead.
The vision of the hurling down of the dragon (Satan) to the earth continues with his waging war against the offspring of the woman, the followers of Jesus (12:17), and with the dragon standing on the shore of the sea “as if to summon his henchmen from its troubled waters” to do his bidding (NICNT, 243):
13:1-10—The Beast from the Sea—Since in Daniel, beasts are used to symbolize world powers that would rise, to assume the same symbolic meaning in John’s vision seems logical, especially in light of some very similar appearances of the beasts (see Dan. 7).
(1) What does the beast of ten horns, seven heads and ten crowns symbolize when it comes to world powers?
(2) What does the combination of the look of a leopard, the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion symbolize about this likely bloc or united empire of world powers?
(3) Where does its enormous power come from? (v. 2)
(4) A fatal wound (vv. 3-4)
a. What might a fatal wound suffered by one of its head symbolize?
b. What does the miraculous healing of this head lead to? Why?
c. In addition to being followed, it is worshipped as well: can you think of any world leader past or present being elevated almost to a godlike status by the people?
(5) The temporal victory of the beast (vv. 5-10)
a. How long is the beast allowed to exercise its power and authority? (v. 5; see 11:1-2; 12:6)
b. How arrogant is this beast? (vv. 5-6)
c. It conquers the whole world (vv. 7-8)
- How will all the inhabitants of the world respond to its conquest?
- Although the saints will be conquered too, do you think they would worship the beast?
- Is such a trial inevitable? (v. 10a)
- How should they prepare themselves to face this tribulation? (v. 10b)
(6) Most of us do not or have not yet had to face as severe a tribulation. How might the call for patient endurance and faithfulness apply to our situation today?
(7) What is the message to you today? How may you apply it to your life?
“This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10)
The beasts in the vision in Daniel 7 bear many similarities to the beasts in Revelation 13. The angel explains to Daniel that these beasts symbolize the world powers that are to rise and will eventually lead to the conquest of the saints (Dan. 7:21). Therefore, it is only logical to adopt the approach to the interpretation of the symbolism being used in Revelation 13.
While based on the limited information in Revelation 13, it may not be too helpful to speculate who these world powers are that appear to form a bloc, not only to conquer the world, but the saints. It is quite obvious that the saints will be persecuted during this period of time with some being taken captive and some killed by the sword (13:10).
While the message is one of inevitability, it is also one of hope.
- It is inevitable, as the Apostle Paul puts it, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). If such is the case in ordinary times, it will be more so during the time of the Great Tribulation as Satan knows that “his time is short” (12:12);
- But it is also a time of hope in that such a time of tribulation has been limited by God to “42 months” (13:5), and He has heard the cry of the martyrs (6:9ff) and will come and judge the world and Satan without delay (10:6).
In the
meantime, the saints are called to have patient endurance and faithfulness
(13:10). As hard as it is, the author of
Hebrews, after citing many martyrs in the past, encourages us to
“run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Heb. 12:2-3)
13:11-18—The Beast from the Earth—This appears to be the henchman of the first beast:
(1) Where does this beast come from? (v. 11; see Note below)
(2) What does the appearance of a lamb suggest?
(3) What does the speech of a dragon symbolize?
(4) What is its role in relation to the first beast? (v. 12)
(5) How is he able to deceive the inhabitants of the earth? (vv. 13-14a)
(6) The deception (vv. 14b-15)
a. Why would he erect an image for the first beast? (v. 14b)
b. How will the readers of the 1st and 2nd centuries in Rome react to this vision?
c. How different will this statue or idol be from the statues of the Roman emperors of the time? (v. 15a)
d. What same fate awaits those who refuse to worship the Emperors’ statues? (v. 15b)
(7) The 666 mark (vv. 16-18)
a. A mark is to be put on everyone: Where will the mark be put? (v. 16)
b. How might it be done based on today’s technology?
c. If all daily purchases can only be done with the scanning of the mark, what will happen to those who refuse to bear such a mark?
d. The mark has to do with the name of the beast (vv. 17-18); throughout the last 2,000 years, many have sought to be wise and have speculated on the identity or name that makes up the number 666. I personally believe that when such a character surfaces, it will be made clear. In the meantime
- Why would the heavenly announcer give us such an enigmatic clue at all?
- What is meant by “it is man’s number”? (Versus what kind of number then?)
(8) In John’s time, what might his readers think of such a mark on the right hand or forehead?
(9) How does our advancement in technology serve to enlighten us about the reality of John’s visions?
(10) What is the most important message to you and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“The ancient world often associated evil with sea” (TNTC, 161). Such is the thought behind Daniel 7:1 as well. This 2nd beast is said to come out to the earth and that presumably symbolizes a less demonic origin, but just the same, it will do the bidding of Satan.
“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” (Rev. 13:18)
“No verse in Revelation has received more attention than this one with its cryptic reference to the number of the beast.” (NICNT, 261)
“In Greek, the first nine letters of the alphabet were used for the units, the next for the tens and so on.” (TNTC, 168)
Indeed, even in the 2nd century, prominent theologians like Irenaeus had sought to solve this riddle without any satisfactory results. Such attempts have continued to these days, and yet no names so calculated have any credence. Even the one “most commonly accepted today is that 666 is the numerical equivalent 'Nero Caesar'" (NICNT, 262) who was dead by the time of John’s Revelation. Indeed, “to get this result we must use the Greek form of the Latin name, transliterated into Hebrew characters, and with a variant spelling at that (the vowel letter y has to be omitted from qysr)” (TNTC, 169). This is clearly arbitrary.
Since in his vision, John was told to invite those who have wisdom to solve this riddle, this should be solvable except that it is meant for the time when this character appears which certainly speaks to a time in the distant future, the time of the Great Tribulation. I believe that when the time comes, it will become clear to ones who have “insight” (13:18). However, one thing is clearly pointed out by the speaker, and that is “it is a man’s number” which is important for the readers of the vision of the 2nd beast in Revelation 13. As much as this 2nd beast is such a deceiver and a performer of great miracles, forcing all inhabitants of the earth to worship the statue of the first beast and depriving the faithful of Jesus Christ who do not bear the mark of the beast the means to survive, he is after all a mere human! Irrespective of how great and horrific his name might be, it cannot disguise the fact that he is only a human being whose time is numbered as well.
After the appearance of these two awesome beasts in the vision and before any visions foretelling the defeat of these two beasts, John is shown once again the 144,000 whose foreheads have been sealed with the seal of God for protection (7:4ff):
14:1-5—The 144,000
(1) Whom does John see now in this vision? (v. 1)
(2) Where is He?
(3) Who are with Him?
(4) What in fact is the seal on their foreheads?
(5) The heavenly choir (vv. 2-5)
a. How does John describe the first sound that he hears? (v. 2a; 1:15; 6:1)
b. What (likely) is the other sound that he hears? (v. 2b)
c. It appears it is sung by the 144,000 before the throne of God.
- Why could this new song only be learned by these 144,000? (v. 3)
- They are special in the following respects (see today’s Meditative Reflection):
1. They are pure: Why is their purity defined in terms of non-defilement with women (the original says they are “virgins”)? (See Jer. 18:13; 31:4, 21; Lam. 1:15; 2:13; Amos 5:2)
2. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes: What does it mean? (see Isa. 53:6)
3. They have been purchased as firstfruits offered to God and the Lamb: In what sense are they “firstfruits” offerings? (see Jer. 2:3)
4. They are blameless. There are “no lies in their mouth”. Why is this mentioned as the mark of being blameless? (see Isa. 59:13; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 13:6 etc)
14:6-7—The 1st Angel—with the Eternal Gospel—Just as the vision of the 144,000 being sealed in chapter 7 is immediately followed by the vision of the worship of the great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, the vision of the singing of the 144,000 is also followed by the gospel being proclaimed to them.
(6) Who is the proclaimer of the gospel?
(7) Why is it called the eternal gospel?
(8) If this vision is meant to reflect the time of the appearance of the two beasts, how important is it that all peoples on earth could still hear the gospel?
(9) What is the message proclaimed by the angel?
14:8—The 2nd Angel
(10) If this 2nd proclamation is meant for the two beasts, what might we understand as to who they are or represent?
(11) What does “Babylon the Great” represent? (See Note below.)
(12) What is its immediate fate?
14:9-13—The 3rd Angel
(13) Why would the people of the earth be willing to worship the beast and bear his mark? (13:4; 16-17)
(14) What is now the consequence of their action? (v. 10)
(15) How serious is this consequence? (v. 11)
(16) How will this vision serve to encourage the saints who are going through the Great Tribulation? (vv. 12-13; see 7:14)
(17) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“The
first time the Bible mentions Babylon (Gen. 11:9) we read that after the Flood
people try to scale the heights of heaven by building a mighty tower. The name thus stands for the pride of mankind
and for the heathen city-empire. For
John, Babylon is the great city, the symbol of mankind in community opposed to
the things of God.”
(TNTC, 174-5)
“No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” (Rev. 14:3)
As I said earlier, in spite of the majority conservative scholars who prefer to see the 144,000 in Revelation as the whole NT church, I am inclined to agree with the minority view that they in fact represent those Jews who come to Christ during the Last days as prophesied by Zechariah 12:10 and alluded to by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:26 as “all Israel” who will be saved since they are numbered evenly according to the 12 tribes of Israel.
This makes even more sense as we read of their “new song” (14:3) sung in the heavenly court while the two beasts (agents of Satan) ravage the earth and persecute believers “who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (12:17).
The reason why only they could learn such a song is made clear by the explanation that they are those:
(1) Who did not defile themselves with women for they kept themselves pure: Obviously it is not to be interpreted literally because they are not just men, but men, women and children “redeemed from the earth”. The Greek original actually refers to them as “virgins” which is the term used of Israel many times in OT prophetic books as God calls them to repentance before their exile (see Jer. 14:17; 18:13; 31:4, 21; Lam. 1:15; 2:13; Amos 5:2). This mark of purity signifies that they no longer worship idols and have repented from the spiritual adultery so severely rebuked by God before their exile.
(2) Who follow the Lamb wherever He goes: As the footsteps of the Lamb are one of sacrifice and suffering, they have stopped turning each to their own ways (Isa. 53:6)— another sign of repentance indeed.
(3) Who were purchased from among men as firstfruits: They are indeed a special harvest of the Lord referred in Jeremiah 2:3: “Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest”. Such a special status is now restored; and
(4) In whom no lie was found in their mouths. They are blameless: One of the most repeated rebukes against Israel by the prophets is that they lie (at least 4 times in Isaiah; 15 times in Jeremiah; 3 times in Ezekiel; 3 times in Hosea; see also Zech. 10:2 as well). This also signifies a total transformation of Israel.
Because of their former relationship with God as His “virgins” and “Chosen People” who had forsaken Him but now have been “redeemed” by Him, this is a song only they could learn.
On the other hand, as each one of us has been redeemed in a personal way by the Lamb, each one of us also has a unique story to tell and a song of redemption only we could sing to the Lord as a testimony of His love for us.
14:14-20—The Harvest of Grapes—This signals the time of the pouring of God’s wrath, but is depicted by the scene of harvesting. It is in two parts:
(1) The vision of the son of man (vv. 14-16)
a. To whom does the “son of man” refer? (1:13; Dan. 7:13-14)
b. What does the cloud remind you of (concerning Christ)? (see Dan. 7:13; Acts 1:9)
c. What does the crown (actually a wreath, the kind awarded to the Olympic champions) signify?
d. Why is the sickle that is held in His hand described as sharp?
e. Where does the angel who sends the message come from? (v. 15)
f. What does “the harvest of the earth is ripe” mean?
g. What does this short verse of 14:16 seek to depict?
(2) The vision of another angel (vv. 17-20)—While it appears to be just a repeat of the action of Christ, let’s focus on its differences from the above:
a. This time, where does the messenger come from? (v. 18)
b. "Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar;" (v.18a) -What does this signify?
c. While Christ is described as swinging His sharp sickle to harvest, what else does this other angel who also has a sharp sickle do? (v. 19)
d. The trampling of the great winepress (v. 20)
- What is this harvest about?
- Here is only a preview of the actual event in Revelation 19:11-16: How is this winepress of God’s wrath actually trampled?
- What is the purpose of showing the preview at this time (right after the vision of the two horrific beasts)?
- How horrific is the wrath of God as depicted? (v. 20b)
15:1-4—The Seven Last Plagues Announced—As it turns out, the last of the three woes (as announced by the 7th trumpet) becomes the “seven last plagues”:
(3) Why are they called the “seven last plagues”? (v. 1)
(4) What is that sea of glass? (v. 2; 4:6)
(5) Who are the ones standing before the throne of God? (v. 2)
a. What have they prevailed over?
b. What price might they have to pay for their victory? (13:7, 10, 15)
(6) They are singing a song to God (vv. 3-4)
a. Who gives them harps to play?
b. Why is this song called both
- The song of Moses, the servant of God? (Exod. 15:1-21), and
- The song of the Lamb? (see 5:9-10)
c. Their praises—Consider these questions, based on the deliverance in Exodus and the salvation of the cross:
- How do His deeds prove that He is “Lord God Almighty”?
- How do His ways show that He is "the King of ages (aiōn, in some Greek manuscripts)"?
- All will fear and bring glory to God and His name: Why?
- All nations will come and worship before Him: Why?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb.” (Rev. 15:2b-3)
I have no idea if these faithful saints (likely martyrs) who prevail “over the beast and his image and over the number of his name” have ever played harps in their lives. But that does not matter, because since they are given the harps by God, they will be able to play and I believe, most beautifully too.
It is interesting to note that the song they will be playing and singing in heaven is called both the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Most scholars agree that it is one and the same song and it certainly should be.
The song of Moses was sung by Moses at the
parting of the Red Sea. There God allowed His people to cross like they
would on dry land, but when Pharaoh’s army tried to cross, the sea
closed up and they drowned. Because of such a miraculous deliverance,
Moses
composed this song of deliverance basically to praise
-the mighty and marvelous deeds of the Lord God Almighty
-the just and true ways of this King of the ages who judges those who oppose Him
-the holiness of the Lord who is unlike any gods and that as His righteous acts are revealed, the nations fear and tremble
All of these nuances in the original song of Moses (in Exod. 15) are now repeated by this heavenly choir.
However, the song of Moses ends with these
words:
“You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established. The Lord reigns for ever and ever.” (Exod. 15:17-18)
However, the sanctuary of the Lord on earth has proved to be only temporary and the people of God have been driven out of their home land. The true sanctuary of the Lord, as the vision shows, is in heaven, and the true city of Zion is the heavenly one as well, in which God will certainly reign for ever and ever, but such a reality is now brought about only by the Lamb who was slain. That is why this song of Moses is now brought to its fulfillment with the song of the Lamb. They are one and the same song of God’s salvation and reign, not only of Israel, but the entire mankind.