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.
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.
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)
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?
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.
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)
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?