Today’s passage: Revelation 14:14-20

Helpful thoughts:

• Coming clouds often refer to looming judgment in prophetic Scriptures.  Christ is coming, riding on the clouds (Daniel 7:13-14).  When Jesus comes again, there will be a time of judgment.
• There are two harvests depicted in this passage:
  • The first is likened to a harvest of wheat or barley.
    • This may refer to the gathering of God’s people, the saints, those who’ve repented and believed (John 4:35-36).
    • Or, it could simply be a dual illustration for the same judgment depicted immediately after.
  • The second to that of grapes for trampling to make wine.
    • This harvest is specifically stated as the wrath of God.
    • This area (1,600 stadia) is about 184 miles.  A horse’s bridle would be about 4-5 feet or so off the ground.
    • This judgment is foretold in Isaiah 63:1-6.

Questions to consider:

1. This second harvest/judgment takes place “outside the city” as the people of Jerusalem were accustomed to seeing judgment take place (Hebrews 13:12).  If this passage depicts the battle of Armageddon as some believe, what could the amount of destruction and carnage be?
2. Does there appear to be any difficulty in the effort God must exert to bring about these harvests?  Is the task too difficult?  Does the world stand any more chance against the Lord than grapes do in time of harvest?
3. Why is Jesus wearing a crown in this passage (The victor’s crown!)?  Whose side are you on?  Why can you approach this day with confidence, even if the whole rest of the world doesn’t?

Today’s passage: Revelation 14:6-13

Helpful thoughts:

• Three major components of this passage:
  • The three angels’ announcements:
    • Fear God and give Him glory (The proclamation of good news/”gospel”) because judgment is coming.
    • The world’s powers are about to fall to God’s judgment.  God has won, the world has lost.
    • All those who were of the world will experience the eternal wrath of God.
  • The repeated call for Christians we see throughout the book of Revelation, “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” (verse 12).
  • The promise to those who die before Christ returns.  Death for the Christian is blessing, freedom, and reward (“their deeds follow them” – 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Questions to consider:

1. In what ways does this passage typify the overall message of the book of Revelation?  What seems to be the purpose of the book?  How are Christians being encouraged to respond?
2. Why is the coming judgment of God good news?  There certainly will be judgment, death, wrath, etc.  But what will there also be?  And, what will cease to be when God makes everything new?
3. Are you glad and thankful that you are a Christian?  Why?  To whom should you give your thanks, your life, your all?

Today’s passage: Revelation 14:1-5

Helpful thoughts:

• Those who were gathered in 7:1-8 join Christ on Mount Zion.
  • If these 144,000 were a figurative representation of all God’s people gathered by grace, it wouldn’t make sense that this group are the “firstfruits for God and the Lamb.”  It has to be a portion of all God’s redeemed.  There are more to come.
  • These who had been redeemed are counted as pure in every way.  Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to them.
• Some believe this Mount Zion to be a heavenly one (Hebrews 12:22).  Others believe it to be at Jerusalem.
• This occasion elicits a “new song” from heaven kept especially for the worship from the 144,000!

Questions to consider:

1. How does the context of this passage indicate that the righteous record of these 144,000 is a gift of God’s grace?  If they are redeemed (verse 3), from what would they have been redeemed?  How does this inform our understanding of how God sees us in Christ?  What is our righteous record (Romans 4:3, 2 Corinthians 5:21)?
2. What must be the content of this “new song?”  We may not know the lyrics, but we can assume from all that we are reading.  What has “the Lamb” done to bring about this ingathering of firstfruits who have a righteous record before God?  Why is He worthy of such praise?

Today’s passage: Revelation 13:11-18

Helpful thoughts:

• A second beast appears on the scene.  This beast is later called “the false prophet” (16:13, 19:20).
  • As the Holy Spirit does for Christ, the false prophet will point people to worship the beast (The antichrist).  In some ways, it appears the devil has put together a false trinity (Satan, the antichrist, the false prophet).
• The threat of death for refusing to worship is not new.  This was the threat of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3) and that of Roman emperors during the time the first Christians read this letter of revelation.
• God commanded the people of Israel to “bind” the Word of God (the law) to their foreheads and on their hands (Deuteronomy 6:8).  This was not a literal physically natured command, but an illustration for having the Word around them, in front of their eyes and in their hearts and minds, consistently.  It would not be wild to consider this depiction of the mark of the beast in the same way (figuratively).  It could be a literal marking, it could be figurative.
  • The number “666” has been interpreted to mean different things, such as: The number of man (meaning, he is inferior to God…as if God would be “777”), the word “beast” in numbers, the name for “Nero Caesar” in numbers.  There is no consensus as to its meaning.
  • People do not need to fear every new technology that comes on the scene because of this passage.  For a computer chip (even an implant) to be the mark of the beast (if we want to take this passage literally) the tribulation would already need to have begun, the antichrist and his false prophet would need to be on the scene and doing the things described in Revelation, and the whole world would have to be required to take the “mark” to buy or sell anything, anywhere.  If all those conditions haven’t been met, it’s not the mark.

Questions to consider:

1. What is most shocking from what you read today?  In what ways does your mind try to make sense of it all, to imagine it?  Why should we be careful in putting (with our imagination) things in that aren’t in the text?
2. How does the Holy Spirit point people to Jesus Christ (John 16:5-15 – esp. verse 14)?
3. Many have feared and stirred up fear in others through what we read in this passage.  What is truly the answer we need for our rest and security?  Do we need to be specialists in potential marks of the beast, or do we need to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior (John 10:27-28)?

Today’s passage: Revelation 13:1-10

Helpful thoughts:

• The beast bears resemblance to a leopard, bear and lion; these are the creatures referenced in the vision of Daniel 7.  This beast could refer to the nations raised up against God’s people, or to the coming Antichrist or to both.
• The ten horns and seven heads of the beast are the same as the vision of the dragon in 12:3.  The beast is with the dragon, the dragon gives authority to the beast.  They are identified together.
• The worship the dragon and beast are given, and the “mortal wound” from which the beast recovers, give this dragon and beast an appearance like a false God and false Christ.  This pair is considered to be the depiction of Satan and the Antichrist.

Questions to consider:

1. Who will worship the dragon and the beast, and who will not (verse 8)?  What does this verse teach God’s people concerning their part in God’s gracious sovereign and eternal plan?
2. What is the call for God’s people in verse 10?  Why are endurance and faith so critical to the life of the Christian in all ages?  In what way could the book of Revelation be summarized by this final sentence in verse 10?

Today’s passage: Revelation 12:7-17

Helpful thoughts:

• Satan is defeated.  He desires to destroy the people of God.  He will fail.
• After Satan is unable to “devour the woman” (Israel?), he pursues the rest of her offspring (Romans 8:29).  This is thought to be a reference to the church, or believing Israel, or the remaining saints in the last days.
• The knowledge of his sure and coming defeat drives Satan to rage against the people of God, but even in his rage, Satan ultimately loses.  Christ will be victorious.  God’s people will be vindicated.

Questions to consider:

1. By what is Satan defeated (verse 11)?  How does the cross, the gospel message, and the testimony of those who are in Christ defeat our enemy?  How does it result in victory for you today as well?
2. If Satan was conquered by the blood of the Lamb, when might this defeat have occurred (or at least begun)?
3. What picture do we see of the throne of God and our place when we realize that Satan accuses us day and night before the Father (verse 10) but that Christ intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand (Romans 8:34)  Why is our place in Christ secure?  How is it kept secured?  On whom do we rely for our salvation, security, victory?

Today’s passage: Revelation 12:1-6

Helpful thoughts:

• Verse 19 from chapter 11 would be good to read first as we enter into chapter 12.
• Three major characters are depicted in this vision: The woman, her son (the male child), and the great red dragon.
  • The dragon refers to Satan (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6)
  • The child refers to Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:9, Acts 2:33-36, Revelation 2:27)
  • The woman refers to Israel (Genesis 3:15, concerning the amount of time, 3.5 years Daniel 7:25)
• When the dragon sought to devour the child, the child thwarted the hopes of the dragon and eternally pardoned and purchased the people of God (Colossians 2:13-15).
  • The child was caught up to His throne in Acts 1:6-11, and is at the right hand of the Father’s throne today (Romans 8:34).

Questions to consider:

1. When we think of the Old Covenant, why does it make sense to refer to the woman as Israel?  From whom (What people group) was Christ born?  From the perspective of the New Covenant, who all could be included in this group that is “the woman?” (Romans 11)
2. Is this a passage of loss or of victory?  In what ways?  Who wins?

Today’s passage: Revelation 11:15-19

Helpful thoughts:

• The seventh and final trumpet sounds and Christ is king.
• This passage is held by most as the second coming of Christ.
• This confirms the idea that the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments are not necessarily in exact chronological order.  There is overlap in the times they take place.
• Verse 19 could be understood as the first verse of the next vision.

Questions to consider:

1. What is promised for God’s people (and for the world) when Christ returns?
2. For what is the Lord worshiped by the elders at the sounding of the seventh trumpet?
3. If this is what is to come, how should we live now?  If this is what is in heaven presently and simply yet to be revealed and completed, how should we live now?  How do these truths and promises impact our confidence, assurance, identity, and purpose?

Today’s passage: Revelation 11:1-14

Helpful thoughts:

• The Lord reveals the coming of two witnesses who will prophesy for 3.5 years (42 months/1,260 days).  These prophets will be invincible until their prophesying work is completed, then they will killed by the “beast that rises from the bottomless pit” (likely the Antichrist – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
  • These 3.5 years are considered to be the first half of the seven year tribulation period by those who hold the premillennial view of the end times.
  • Daniel 7:21-27, Daniel 9:24-27.
• The death of these prophets will be celebrated around the world with parties and the exchanging of gifts (a spontaneous global holiday)!
  • But the celebration will be cut off when the prophets are risen from the dead by God and their prophecies bolstered by God’s calling them to heaven and bringing judgment through an earthquake in Jerusalem (the “great city” of verse 8 is Jerusalem).

Questions to consider:

1. There are many understandings/interpretations of what is happening in this passage and who all these characters are.  Why do you think that is?  Why might it make sense (for instance) to interpret the fire coming out of the mouths of the prophets to be symbolic of God’s Word and yet to interpret the length of time (42 months/1,260 days) to be a literal period of time?  How does this showcase the challenge of reading apocalyptic literature in the Scripture?  How many possibilities are there?
2. What things can we be sure of from reading this text?  What do God’s people appear to be doing?  What does Satan, the Antichrist, and the world appear to be doing in response?  Who holds the true power?  Why is it right for the world to be terrified and give glory to God?
3. How does the death, resurrection and ascension of these witnesses serve as a model and comfort to Christians even today?  What will come of all those who put their faith in Christ and obey His command to make disciples?