Intro
Who’s read “Revelation”, the last book in the Bible? Anecdotally, it seems most preachers avoid it. No surprise then, possibly most churchgoers don’t read it let alone carefully
Of course, some do. I recently had the privilege of reading through the Revelation with a Bible Study group at my local church. It was fascinating to read what’s actually in the book. Even more so, to realise that some of the common thoughts about the end of the world are not
Following is a summary focussing on the main thread throughout the Revelation, Jesus Christ. This article is in no way an alternative to reading the actual book in the Scriptures. As the text of the book reveals there are seven (7) blessings from the Lord to be received by reading through the whole of the revelation (or listening to it being read) and holding onto its message (prophecy). The first such reference is in the opening verses ….. “Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart];” …….. (Revelation 1:3 Amplified Version). A few English versions use the expression “obey” or “do” what is in the prophecy. But, as the original Greek word more closely conveys, most versions use the expression, “keep”, as in, “hold on to” the things written in it, taking them to heart
What is the Revelation?
The Revelation is a letter about Jesus, a revealing of Jesus, from Jesus the Lamb, the Lion of Judah. It was penned by John, authored by Jesus, “… to show his servants the events that must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1b). John simply wrote what he was told and what he was shown (revealed to him by Jesus). His instructions were clear.
Jesus told him to “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen” (Revelation 1:19). That’s a writing down of things past, present and future kind of task. John “… faithfully reported everything he saw” (Revelation 1:2a). Not only do past, present and future form the basic framework of the letter but within some visions, John relates events past, present and future
So the book starts with what John has seen – past tense, namely, chapter 1 – John saw His Lord, Jesus
Then what is now happening – present tense, namely chapters 2 & 3 – John writes to the churches in his current time about what’s happening in them and what Jesus says about it
Finally, things that will happen are seen in visions in chapter 4 through to book’s end. The things which will happen include judgement events, the removal of evil from the planet and the renewal of Heaven and Earth
The Main Thread of the Revelation is all about Jesus
13 of the 22 chapters tell us about Jesus and how He is going to remove evil and suffering from the world. They also tell us he will renew the heavens and the earth. The other chapters provide background information, some explanations, information about Satan, his false messiah (the Antichrist), their plans to take over supremacy from Jesus and, their final and eternal demise
What John has seen – The Introduction (Chapter 1)
John, possibly the apostle, introduces himself as the writer. “This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia [now Turkey as per footnote]” (vs 1:4a). He explains that he was in exile on “the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus” (vs 1:9). Historically the writing has been dated as AD 95–96
One Sunday while John was worshipping the Lord, Jesus appeared to him and said “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea” (vs 1:11)
Jesus proceeded to dictate a short note to each of the seven churches. Those notes are included in chapters 2 & 3 of the book
Each of the seven letters began with “Write this letter to the angel of the church in [city]…” and each used a different characteristic of Jesus to identify Him as the author
Oh, don’t let the language of the book cause a kerfuffle in your mind …… you may already be thinking, “What? Address each letter to the ‘angel of the church’? Pardon?”
Don’t panic. Just check the word ‘angel’ in those verses using a concordance attached to a Greek-English lexicon (dictionary). There’s a simple app (‘Concordance’) for mobiles that can handle this
The Greek word that landed as “angel” in the English translation of these letters was the Greek word “aggelos”. The word means “a messenger; especially an “angel”; and by implication, a pastor”
Pastor makes sense as the best translation since the message is in written form from Jesus. As if Jesus would tell a human to write a letter to an angel!! I think God gave us common sense for a reason 🙂
The Letters in the Revelation (Chapters 2 & 3)
There are varying opinions regarding the letters. Some teach that they refer to 7 historical seasons of church history, dealing with issues common in the churches of each era. Others believe they relate to churches in the end times while others think the letters are solely for the churches of John’s time. It may be that the letters fit all of the possibilities
However, if we just read the text without overthinking it, they read as pastoral letters to the 7 churches of the 1st century. But we note the text says each letter is also universal, for all the church through all the years
The reason being, each message concluded with … “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches” (vs 2:7, 11, 17, 29 and on through chapter 3). Heed the unqualified plurals – “Anyone” must listen to what He is saying to “the churches”
The content of each letter contains acknowledgements, warnings and promises: acknowledgement of anything in the church’s favour, what it is doing right; warnings of attitudes or activities that require repentance and ending; eternal promises to all who do repent and stay in close relationship with Jesus and hence are victorious (over evil)
each letter tells us a something of Jesus’ identity and character. Also each has a message for a church of John’s time. Noting the faults in each church, it is not difficult to realise that for many (or most) churches today, one or more of these letters apply to their own current circumstances and therefore are relevant to the individual members
In summary:
- Ephesus – the loveless church. “… You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” (vs 2:4). Opens by identifying Jesus as the one who holds the pastors in his right hand, who walks among the churches (combining vs 1:20 and 2:1) – He has not left His churches on their own
- Smyrna – the persecuted church “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich!” (vs 2:9). Identifies Jesus as “the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life again” (vs 2:8) and also shows us Jesus’ compassion and understanding of their situation. He warns of things to come so we can prepare and not be surprised or confused
- Pergamum – the compromising church “You tolerate some among you [Nicolaitans] whose teaching is .. [false]” (vs 2:14-15). Jesus says He is the one with the sharp two-edged sword (vs 2:12) referring to the power of His Words (see Hebrews 4:12)
- Thyatira – the corrupted church “… permitting … that Jezebel …. — to lead my servants astray” (vs 2:20). This letter identifies Jesus by appearance, “the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze”, just as John described in vs 1:14-15. And it declares that tolerating wrongdoing (sin, leading others away from God) is corrupt and He will give opportunity to repent but eventually will punish severely. Eyes like flames see penetratingly deep burning through any facade
- Sardis – the dead church “… you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead … your actions do not meet the requirements of my God” (vs 3:1c-2b). Identifies Jesus as “the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God” (vs 3:1) – Holy Spirit – describes with seven characteristics in Isaiah 11:2
- Philadelphia – the faithful church “you obeyed my word and did not deny me …. you are the ones I love” (vs 3:8c, 9b). Jesus is identified as “the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open” (vs 3:7). In this letter Jesus gives a timeless promise that is so encouraging and full of comfort …. “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world” (vs 3:10).
- Laodicea – the lukewarm church “…. you are neither hot nor cold…. I will spit you out of my mouth!” (vs 3:15a,16b). Jesus is identified as “the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation” (vs 3:14). A sober warning
May I suggest you read or re-read the text of chapters 2 & 3 and prayerfully consider …. How do today’s churches ‘measure up’ in comparison to these seven conditions? As far as that goes, how do I do personally? Any room for improvement? Ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth
Note:- the reference to Jezebel and the Nicolaitans in the text may be foreign to you but they can easily be ‘Googled’. e.g. The Nicolaitans built a belief system that is now called Gnosticism. This is still infiltrating significant portions of the church today and is on the increase. Numerous churches entertain worldly (unGodly) ideologies. Many are adopting worldly standards into their charter and practice. The current Christian popularist culture is pervasive. Trouble is, it either redefines holiness or disregards Scriptural injunctions for holiness. As for Jezebel, she was the wicked wife of King Ahab and led Israel into incredibly dark times through her evil bent
The Throne In Heaven (Chapter 4)
After dictating the letters, Jesus invited John to view the Throne in Heaven. “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen …” (vs 4:1b)
John tried to describe the indescribable. A vision of God’s Glory sitting on the throne. 24 elders on their own thrones. The Holy Spirit (the 7-fold Spirit of God as described in Isaiah 11:2) in front of the throne. And, John also saw four angelic beings (living creatures) that bear resemblance to those seen by Ezekiel around 680 yrs before (~590BC). See Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10
John noted it is noisy. “From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder” (vs 4:5a). “Whenever the living beings give glory and honour and thanks to the one sitting on the throne ….. the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne” (vs 4:9-10a)
The revelation of the Scroll (Chapter 5)
John reported, “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne …. it was sealed with seven seals” (vs 5:1a). An angel called for someone worthy to break the seals and open it. “But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it” (vs 5:3). So John began to weep bitterly (vs 5:4) until one of the elders said, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals” (vs 5:5)
Then John “… saw a Lamb [Jesus] that looked as if it had been slaughtered” (vs 5:6a). Jesus took the scroll and the 24 elders fell down before Him in worship singing a new song. Then John could hear the voices of 1000s and 1000 000s of angels singing a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb ……”. And then he heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea singing: “Blessing and honour and glory and power …..”. Again we realise, it is rarely quiet in heaven
Jesus is worthy to open the seals (pronounce judgements against sin) and He is worthy of all praise and honour. Recall: Jesus declared himself as the upcoming judge of all things. He told the Jewish leaders “… the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge” (John 5:22)
Jesus’ Judgements Begin (Chapter 6)
The narrative within the Revelation tells us that the judgements of Jesus will come in three waves of seven events. Chapter 6 records John’s vision of what will happen when Jesus opens the seals. Each seal will release a judgement event when it is opened, except the 7th one – it heralds in the next wave – the sounding of the trumpets
It is worth noting that the first seal will introduce the Antichrist onto the world scene as a peacemaker and thus launches the final 7 years of this age – the last “Seven” of the prophecy in Daniel 9:27 [see earlier article “70 Sevens (70 “Weeks)”]
The next seals will impact world peace and world economics etc while the 5th one will reveal the souls of the martyrs ‘shouting’ to the Lord about the delay of the avenging of their blood (vs 6:9-10)
John recorded that the 6th seal will release turmoil in the cosmos and on the planet. Aside from a great earthquake, “all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places” (vs 6:14b). He saw the hardness of heart in the people. Even though they knew the environmental ‘catastrophes’ were from the one who sits on the throne and [Jesus] the Lamb (vs 16:6b) they “cried to the mountains and the rocks …. [to] Fall on us and hide us from … [the Lord]” (vs 6:16a). Fancy, choosing to call on the rocks and the mountains rather than just turn to the Lord with a repentant heart and enjoy His Mercy, Grace, Love etc…
Will this catastrophe affect God’s people or just the ungodly?
An aside 1
Some Supporting Information – Explanations (Chapter 7)
Maybe, as a Christian, you are thinking, …. “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9) so these judgments can’t hurt God’s people. And a careful read of the text shows you would be right
Chapter 7 of the Revelation diverges to show us Jesus affirmed this is true. He showed John an angel shouting to the angels who were about to administer Jesus’ judgements …. “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants” (vs 7:3). Reminiscent of several of the plagues in Egypt not impacting God’s people living amongst the Egyptians
John makes a passing reference to a group of 144,000 that he heard “were marked with the seal of God” (vs 7:3-8)
A few years before John recorded the Revelation, Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13 “When you believed [in Christ], you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (NIV). Paul repeated this, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 NIV)
Anyhow, Jesus did say, “… the one who endures [stays faithful to the Lord] to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13). And then …. “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world” (Revelation 3:10) [emphasis mine]. A timeless promise full of encouragement and comfort
The Judgements Continue – Trumpets (Chapters 8 & 9 in the Revelation)
After the 7th Seal is broken an angel is seen mixing the prayers of God’s holy people with incense as an offering to the Lord (vs 8:3-4). More thunder crashed. More lightning flashed. Another terrible earthquake and the next batch of seven Judgements are each ushered in by an angel blowing a trumpet
The first four will just affect the environment – the land, the sea, inland waterways and terrestrial objects around the earth. But they won’t be fully destructive. They have a limited scope. 12 times John says they will only damage 1/3 of the target
The 5th and 6th trumpets bring much worse judgements. Both inflict the people. People who could easily have softened their hearts, repented and started their ‘walk with the Lord’ during any of the earlier judgements. God has explicitly expressed this as a strong desire all through Scripture. See a previous article, “God’s Relationship with Man”
These judgements will be horrific and involve what John describes as demonic beings (vs 9:7-11, 17-19). As always, Jesus is in control. John heard that the beings “… were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. …” (vs 9:4-5a). That is, they were not to harm God’s people either
No Change
The people suffer badly but “still refused to repent … and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols…. they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their theft” (vs 9:20-21)
[even at this stage, God is still wanting the people of the world to turn back and enjoy Loving Fellowship with Him. He instructed that they were to be tormented, not killed! Thereby have a chance to repent and return to Him. Amazing Love along with Awesome Justice]
As the 7th trumpet sounds there will be silence in heaven for a short time then loud shouting proclaiming the era of Satan’s dominion over this world is ending. “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” (vs 11:15). The 24 elders will fall to their faces and worship the Lord. More lightning. More thunder. Another earthquake and a terrible hailstorm (vs 11:16-19)
An Aside 2
An Interlude – Backstories And Side Stories (Chapters 10-15)
A brief interchange with Jesus informs John that the judgements to come are bitter-sweet experiences. But in reverse, literally. John is also shown the two witnesses and their mission, death and resurrection
a) The Woman, The Dragon, The Child (Chapter 12)
John then ‘takes a break’ and gives us a major back-story in chapter 12 reminding us of the essential history between Satan (the dragon), Israel (the woman) and Jesus (the child)
While Jesus will administer judgements against the followers of Satan, Satan wages war against the followers of Jesus but they of course can be victorious – “… they have defeated him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” (vs 12:11). We often forget the second part of this verse. But history records there is no greater testimony to Jesus than martyrdom. Countless lives have turned back to the Lord at such witness
b) An Update on the Antichrist and his False Prophet (Chapter 13)
The first 3½ yrs of peace that the Antichrist will broker in the Middle East must allow the building of a third version of the Temple in Jerusalem because offerings and sacrifices in the Temple will resume according to Daniel 9:27b. Daniel’s prophecy from Gabriel then tells us that after 3½ yrs of the peace accord, the Antichrist “will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (Daniel 9:27b). Jesus confirmed the abomination was coming in Matthew 24:15
In the Revelation chapter 13, John describes his vision of these events – introducing the Antichrist as an ugly, blasphemous beast. The beast “was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them” (vs 13:7a). The sacrilegious object (abomination) is likely to be the image of himself, “… the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die” (vs 13:15b). Demonic activity no longer undercover
John wrote “Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful” (vs 13:10). [Remember, John only wrote what Jesus instructed him]
NOTE – Whilst the spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world (1 John 4:3) he emerges as the person whom John saw come out of the ‘sea of humanity’. Satan’s false messiah. Just another attempt of Satan to try and copy Jesus manifesting in human form out of the ‘sea of Israelites’
c) Insights into other events (Chapter 14)
John tells us that he saw the 144,000 from chapter 7 and gives us a very brief insight into their character (vs 14:1-5). He also saw three angels flying through the sky delivering a separate message
• One proclaiming “the eternal Good News to the people who belong to this world” (vs 14:6) and telling them to “Fear God … Give glory to him for the time has come when he will sit as judge …..” (vs 14:7) – a Loving call and a Loving warning from Jesus that time (chances to repent and live) is about to expire
• The second, declaring the fall (collapse) of Babylon – the ungodly world systems (vs 14:8)
• The third, shouting to the world that “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger” (vs 14:9-10a)
Then John relates another moment when he saw “The Harvest of the Earth” – the metaphor Jesus used in the “Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds” (Matthew 13:24-30)
d) Praise in Heaven (Chapter 15)
John saw in heaven “Seven angels … holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion” (vs 15:1). At the same time he saw “all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue …. all holding harps that God had given them. And they were singing the song of Moses …. and the song of the Lamb” (vs 15:2b-3a)
Then John watched one of the four living beings give each of the seven angels holding the seven plagues “a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God” (vs 15:6-7). “The Temple (in heaven) was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power” (vs 15:8a)
More Judgements – 7 ‘Bowls of wrath’ (Chapter 16)
Several of these judgements in chapter 16 are directed at the people of the world and reflect the plagues in Egypt. This batch is, more severe than the previous one. And again, John confirms that people will still have the opportunity to repent. More than once he noted e.g. “… They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory” (vs 16:9c). Repentance leading into Relationship remains God’s preference
From the launch of these judgements, John makes it clear that these judgements will be only “on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue” (vs 16:2b). — this implies that even by then there will still be people on the planet who have not taken the mark of Antichrist and have not worshipped his statue
Bowl 7 will instigate “… a mighty shout … from the throne in the Temple, saying, ‘It is finished!’ Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth” (vs 16:17-18)
Notes of importance
1. After even the 4th and 5th bowl John saw that the followers of Antichrist will still refuse to turn their back on evil. Not only did they not repent, as noted above, but they “ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores.” (vs 16:11)
2. Right up until the last moment, even people with the mark of the beast can repent and receive God’s Loving Forgiveness
3. The arrogance of the enemy is clear. Bowl 6 will dry up the Euphrates River “… so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance” (vs 16:12). The dragon, the beast and the false prophet (that’s Satan, the Antichrist and his offsider, the false prophet) will gather all the rulers and their armies for battle against the Lord at Armageddon (vs 16:12-16). It is the Lord who will facilitate this as His 6th judgement! It was He who will dry up the Euphrates so that the enemy can do this. What a setup! Satan still thinks he can beat up on Jesus
As an Aside 3
More Side Detail And Backstory (Chapter 17 & 18)
In chapter 17 and 18 John provides more information and explanations related to the interplay between Antichrist (the Beast) and the world systems – economic, political, governmental, religious etc – referred to as ‘Babylon’. He sees Babylon’s destruction by Jesus. For millennia the world systems have lured countless humans away from God as their Leader and Provider
It is Finished – the Judgements are Over (Chapter 19)
After the 7th bowl John saw massive Praise in heaven for the judgement of the world systems and the avenging of the death of the martyrs. “… ‘Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just. He has punished [Babylon which] corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants’” (vs 19:1-2)
As proclaimed prophetically before the blowing of trumpet 7 (vs 10:6-7). Jesus’ reign began. The angels also announced the season of the great wedding feast (vs 19:7-8)
Then It Happens
John wrote … “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war” (vs 19:11). Jesus!!!
John gives a vivid description of Jesus including … “From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress” (vs 19:17)
Oh, you might not be aware, but throughout Scripture, the sword of the Spirit, the sword in Jesus’ mouth is not a physical sword (of course!) but is simply His Word which is True, Insightful and Powerful. His Word is “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12)
This Is It …..
John says … “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet …… Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies” (vs 19:19-21). See Isaiah 11:4b some 700yrs earlier – “The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked”
So much for the great “Battle of Armageddon”. First, the beast and the false prophet met their end – cast into the lake of fire. Then their entire army died by the Word of the Lord!! – sword in the rider’s mouth (vs 19:15).
The 1000 Years (Chapter 20)
After John saw the demise of the beast, the false prophet and all their followers, he wrote in chapter 20, … “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterwards, he must be released for a little while” (vs 20:1-3)
“Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them … And I saw the souls of the [martyrs] … They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for 1000 yrs. This is the first resurrection (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the 1000 yrs had ended)” (vs 20:4-5) [emphasis mine]
The Defeat Of Satan
“When the 1000yrs come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations ….. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore” (vs 20:7-8). John saw them surround God’s people and Jerusalem “But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them” (vs 20:9)
“Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (vs 20:10)
The Final Judgement
John continued in verse 20:11 …. “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide”. Not something as easy to describe as maybe the planet exploding or a nuclear bomb or the like
The Amplified version translated John’s words this way … “And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away]” (vs 20:11 AMP). Jesus being the judge, makes it sensible that it is He who is the one sitting on the throne, continuing His reign from the 1000yrs
I have grown up with the concept that heaven is some place up in the, well, the heavens. But astrophysics (a study of the cosmos) does not show any inkling of a habitation up there. Then reading the Revelation, it caught my eye that the New Living Translation (NLT) translated vs 11 as “… The earth and sky fled from his presence …” while the Amplified version (AMP) says “… earth and heaven fled away …”. So I checked an online collection of English Bibles. 18 of 69 chose “sky” instead of “heaven” for this verse. Interesting
Heaven – by the way
The Concordance confirmed that in both Hebrew and Greek, our word heaven comes from an original word meaning “sky” or “air”. So it is, that heaven might be nearer than we think. We just can’t see/perceive it with worldly (unholy) eyes
Then John wrote “And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne” (vs 20:12a) as predicted in vs 20:5. This is the second resurrection – as Jesus foretold, “the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” (vs John 5:28-29)
“The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (vs 20:13b). But don’t misunderstand!! The question of salvation is not based on works or those who are “good enough”, but on whether one’s name is in the Book of Life or not (see vs 13:8)
John clarified the matter “… anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (vs 20:15). This is the second death, referred to in vs 2:11b
The New Heaven and Earth (Chapter 21)
Starting with yet another “Then” ……. in chapter 21 John’s vision ‘rolls right on’ from chapter 20 with some very amazing statements in the following verses:-
- vs 1 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.…”
- vs 2 – “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”
- vs 3 – “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them …. ’ …”
- vs 5a – “And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’” (not destroying the old and creating new ones)
- vs 22 – “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple”
- vs 23 – “And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light”
- vs 26-27 – “And all the nations will bring their glory and honour into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life”
Jesus
Back on Patmos, after the visions, Jesus again spoke to John and reassured him …. “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book” (vs 22:7). And “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (vs 22:12-13). Obeying means more of holding them dear as Truth and remaining fully faithful and trusting in Jesus. No matter what we hear, see or have to endure
Like John signed off the letter …… “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
… just sayin’
PostScript
Now read the book. You can’t not. It’s good to read with others who are just as hungry to hear God’s Word. But do not overthink it. If Jesus doesn’t explain something in it or there isn’t an explanation or clarification of it somewhere in the rest of Scripture, then relax. We don’t need to know
By the way. The seven explicit blessings spoken of within the book of Revelation are ….
in these verses….. 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14
It is highly recommended that you read each of these verses in either
the New International Version (NIV) or the Amplified Version (AMP) for a fuller interpretation of the Greek
Bibliography
- NLT – Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation
- Image – The Seals courtesy https://stock.adobe.com
In as much as a light destroys darkness, God’s holiness destroys sinfulness. So much so that in our present condition, no one can even look at God’s face in all His fullness and not die.
“When Moses finished reciting … , he said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess’ ” (Deuteronomy 32:45-47). All that the people needed was to repent (turn back) and live according to the words of the law; the agreement that God had given in more detail when they left Egypt. Love God and thereby stay under His covering, provision and protection for a long life
promise of the land of Canaan they had just surveyed. Even though, as the others had testified, “All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there … We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes …” (Numbers 13:31c-33). Joshua, told the Israelites not to rebel against God and not to fear (yârê) those people (see Numbers 14:9)
In the last post we identified our main enemies as well as their names and activities. Now we look at dealing with them as advised in the Bible. But from the get-go, let’s ‘call a spade a spade’! Let’s rephrase that – Now we look at dealing with evil. When it’s all said and done, our enemy is evil.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. … If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing …. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 
Another time, when “… [Saul] sent men to capture [David] … … they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. 
