tom hogsed

As we begin to see what John writes in this passage, we must remember that Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet have been cast into the lake of fire (hell) forever and ever. Satan has been deceiving people since the beginning of the human race causing many to develop a false sense of what is good. His one purpose in all he does is to oppose the work of God and draw many into his web of deception. Instead of trusting Jesus Christ for salvation, Satan has tempted mankind into believing that they do not need the forgiveness of God or to trust Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. The Bible very clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to a relationship with God and eternal life in heaven (John 14:7). Without Jesus’ shedding of His blood on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22).

In these verses we realize the fruit of all Satan’s labor as millions of people will stand before God in final judgment for the sins they have committed. Instead of believing that Jesus paid for their sins on the cross, they tried to make their own way in life ignoring the free gift of salvation through Jesus (Romans 6:23). The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:27-28). The judgment spoken of here is referred to as the Great White Throne judgment. John writes, “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them” (20:11). Peter tells us that at this time in future history, the entire universe as we know it will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-13). John then sees the “dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (20:12). These books document every sin committed by every person who appear at this judgment while the Book of Life is a record of all who have been forgiven through their faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. All who stand before God at this judgment have rejected Jesus’ payment for their sin and therefore the penalty must be paid by them. John reveals their punishment and writes, “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. The Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (20:13-15). Lest we just flippantly read over these verses, all these people without the forgiveness of Jesus are cast into eternal punishment. There is no return. There is no escape. There is no end to their suffering. So what is this lake of fire? I believe the Bible teaches that it is a literal place of torment and Jesus often calls it a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13; 24:15).

Many think God is unfair to punish sinners for all eternity in hell; however, we must remember that hell was only created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41) and God did not desire for any person to go there. God loved mankind so much that He made a way for every one to be forgiven through the death of His only Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Peter also reminds us that God “is longsuffering [patient] toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Even Jesus’ intention in coming to earth was not “to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). God does not want anyone to spend eternity in hell, but since sin cannot go unpunished because that would make God unjust. So that we did not have to be punished for sin, God “made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The unwillingness to recognize our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ will ultimately lead to eternal separation from God in hell. John gives it to us straight, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

Dear God, may many see the reality of coming judgment and turn to You in faith and repentance through Jesus Christ.

Because I approach the book of Revelation with a premillennial view, I believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth immediately following the seven year tribulation period and prior to His literal 1,000 year reign on earth. God has completed His judgments (for now) upon the evil inhabitants of the earth who have rejected salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. There were three series of judgments (seal, trumpet, and bowl) which contained seven judgments each. The final bowl judgment was the destruction of Babylon, the Antichrist’s headquarters on earth (16:17-21) where God brought swift judgment upon evildoers (19:17-21). Since at this time the Antichrist, false prophet, and all unbelievers will be eliminated from the face of the earth Jesus will begin to set up His earthly kingdom. His first order of business is to get rid of Satan, who is known as the “dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil…” (20:2).

An angel descends from heaven and bounds Satan in what is called the “bottomless pit” for 1,000 years “so that he cannot deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (20:3-4). The removal of Satan as well as his demons will drastically affect the happenings on earth during this time. Without their tempting forces, people will only be left to deal with temptations through the world and the flesh.

Although the book of Revelation does not give us a ton of details about the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ, John does provide a little taste of the things which will govern this kingdom. He writes, “I saw thrones, and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them…and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years…they shall be priests of God and of Christ” (20:4-6). These few words may seem too few, but notice what believers will not experience as opposed to the destiny of those who hate God, “But the rest of the dead [unbelievers] did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (20:5). The first resurrection, which happened at the time of the rapture, is known as the resurrection of the just; however, the second resurrection at the conclusion of the millennial period will result in the judgment of all unbelievers and ultimately lead to eternity in hell (20:11-15).

Following this 1,000 year reign of Christ, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit for one last time in order to deceive the nations (20:7-8). Who will he deceive since all those who entered the millennial period are believers? Satan will seek to blind those children who have been born to believers during the 1,000 years. It appears that Satan will gather many people and these rebellious will be referred to as “Gog and Magog.” Satan and his new followers will develop an army thinking they can bring down Jesus’ kingdom, but their rebellion will be short lived. John writes that they surround “the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem]” but “fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them” (20:9).

At this point, God turns His full attention to Satan, who deceived these people, and he is “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (20:10). They are deserving of this punishment as they have led so many to hate God and reject salvation through Him.

Dear God, it is a comfort to read about the final resting place of Satan and the evil leaders he has put in place to deceive people. May You be glorified in this!

The seventh bowl (vial) judgment has just finished (Revelation 16:17-21) detailing the demise (Revelation 17) and final destruction (Revelation 18) of the evil city of Babylon. For seven years the city of Babylon has been the capital city of the Antichrist and from it all kinds of evil and deception have corrupted the inhabitants of the earth. Heaven has reacted favorably that Babylon has been finally judged for her sins and spiritual apostasy (19:1-5).

Now John hears the voice of many people saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready” (19:6-7). Many have referred to this proclamation as the marriage supper of the Lamb when the church is once and for all united with Christ, never to be separated from Him again. Of course this marriage also includes the redeemed from all ages. This marriage supper follows the seven year tribulation period and is prior to the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth. The celebration of believers being united with Jesus Christ will continue throughout the millennial reign.

Next John sees heaven opened and Jesus Christ riding down on a white horse. John describes Him as “Faithful and True [kept His word to return], and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire [He sees all], and on His head were many crowns…” (19:11-12). Jesus Christ will finally return to earth (His second coming) as He had promised in Matthew 24:27-31 and John writes that He will “rule them with a rod of iron [righteous judgment]. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God” (19:15). Distinct from all other rulers the world has ever seen, Jesus’ reign will be guided by holiness and justice. As Jesus returns, “the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses” (19:14) which indicates that a battle is getting ready to take place. This is known as the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus is leading believers from all ages to battle against the remaining forces of evil on the earth. An angel calls for the birds to gather so they can feed on the flesh which is about to be killed (19:17-18). The Antichrist will also gather his armies together to fight against Jesus and His people (19:19); however, this does not seem like much of a battle. The Antichrist is immediately captured as well as the false prophet and those who worshipped the image (19:20). The false prophet and those who worshipped the image of the Antichrist are thrown into the lake of fire being the first of millions who will spend eternity there for their rejection of Jesus Christ (19:20b). Revelation 19 ends with John writing, “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (19:21). The only people left surviving will be those who have believed in Jesus Christ. This day will be a victorious day for Jesus because evil has been wiped from the earth at this moment; however, this day will be the last of all those who have hated God and rejected His Son, Jesus, as the only way for salvation.

Dear God, I rejoice in knowing that You will have the victory over sin. I look forward to Your soon return and Your righteous rule over all the earth!

Revelation 17 detailed the demise of Babylon which will be where the Antichrist sets up his headquarters during the last days. He deceives the world leaders as well as the people into a unified kingdom and ultimately takes control over everything; of course, the Antichrist’s ultimate goal will be to bring all people under one religious system in worship of him. He will bring world peace and offer false hope, but at the the mid-point of the seven year tribulation period the Antichrist will reveal his true colors and engage in attacks against God’s people. When the Antichrist breaks the peace alliance he has made with Israel, according to Daniel 9:27 “he will bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” Whatever he does will be an abomination to the Jews and their religion and will strip them of their system of worship.

Revelation 17 also reveals that the Antichrist and his evil system has thrown the entire world into chaos bringing judgment from God (see Revelation 16:1-16); however, we previously learned that God allowed this to happen in order to accomplish His judgment upon the world (Revelation 17:17). The Antichrist has finally succeeded in deceiving many and causing them to reject Jesus Christ as their Savior. So, while Revelation 17 describes the leading up to the destruction and judgment of Babylon, Revelation 18 pictures it’s final destruction prior to the millennial reign of Christ on the earth. Babylon is destroyed and Jerusalem will become the place where Jesus sets up His earthly kingdom.

John writes that an angel comes down from heaven and cries with a loud voice, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons…for all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication…” (18:1-3). Then God speaks from heaven and calls out those who are His to abandon Babylon unless they want to be a part of the judgment (18:4-8). After God speaks, John writes about the sadness of those who loved Babylon and mourned it’s destruction (18:9-20). The kings of the earth, who made Babylon powerful will mourn her being burned by fire (18:9-10). The merchants of the earth will also express their sadness for Babylon because they are no longer able to buy and sell (18:11-19). Finally, the angel (18:1) calls the apostles and prophets to rejoice because of Babylon’s destruction (18:20) and another angel announces the final judgment upon Babylon (18:21-24).

Those in heaven react to this capital city of the Antichrist being destroyed by declaring, “true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot [Babylon] who corrupted the earth with her fornication…” (19:2). Again, this destruction of Babylon will usher in the millennial reign of Christ where He will set up His righteous rule for 1,000 years.

Dear God, it is comforting to know that one day You will bring proper judgment upon all those who hate You and Your work. May the future destruction of Babylon serve as a reminder that You hate sin and will bring consequences on all those who follow after evil. Keep Your people from sin that they may be a testimony of Your grace.

The final series of judgments have been poured out upon the earth and John had documented what he had been shown in Revelation 15-16. The seventh bowl (or vial) judgment included the destruction of Babylon, which was the capital city of the Antichrist. John is given a little more detail about the demise of Babylon before its destruction in Revelation 18-19. Revelation 17 is best seen outside of the chronological order which has been followed so far. This demise probably took place around the mid-point of the tribulation period while Babylon’s destruction would not take place until right before the millennial reign of Christ.

John begins this section by writing, “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me [John], saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot [Babylon] who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’” (17:1-2) The fornication being referred to here is not sexual sin, but spiritual apostasy. Instead of worshiping God, the kings as well as the inhabitants of the earth worshipped false gods. The ultimate plan of the Antichrist was to bring all kings and nations under one religion which meant the exclusive worship of himself.

John is then “carried away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I [John] saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast [Antichrist] which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns…I saw the woman [Babylon], drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (17:3,6). We must remember that the Antichrist desires to bring all people into a one world religion causing millions to reject Jesus Christ and worship him. God then allows John to see the extent of the Antichrist’s influence upon the entire world and how he leads them into spiritual apostasy. When John sees all this, he says that he “marveled with great amazement” (17:6b). The angel immediately says, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman [Babylon] and of the beast [Antichrist] that carries her…” (17:7). The angel goes on to reveal to John concerning the “seven heads and ten horns” which were used to describe this beast, the Antichrist. Many scholars believe that this description illustrates the alliance of the Antichrist with other kings and rulers. Here is how John describes it based on the words of the angel, “The seven heads are seven mountains [seven kingdoms] on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen [Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece], one is [Rome], and the other has not yet come [Antichrist's kingdom]. And when he comes, he must continue a short time” (17:9-10). John also adds that “the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going into perdition” (17:11). The Antichrist is seventh and eighth because he was the seventh ruler and then after his fake resurrection (13:1-5) he will also be the eighth.

The beast is also described as having ten horns. Again, scholars tell us that the ten horns are representative of ten kings who will be placed under the authority of the Antichrist. These rulers will “give their power and authority to the beast” and they “will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them…” (17:13-14). This war was referenced in Revelation 16:14-16 and their eventual defeat is recorded in Revelation 19:17-21. There is so much symbolism in this chapter so I have decided to summarize it with an overall commentary from the John MacArthur Study Bible (p.2017): “After using the false religious system to unify the world kingdoms and gain control of all, the Antichrist – with the help of ten sub-rulers – will turn against the system, plunder and destroy it, and seize all power and worship for himself.”

Dear God, please continue to give me wisdom to see those things which are written about the future.

Although there has been a lengthy interlude since the last official judgment (sixth trumpet in Revelation 9:13-21), John’s vision has given the reader several descriptions of people who will play a part in this future period of time. For sake of review, John has detailed the two witnesses who will preach repentance (11:1-14), the kingdom of God which will be proclaimed as the seventh trumpet (11:15-19), Satan persecuting Israel (12:1-17), the Antichrist persecuting believers on earth (13:1-10), the false prophet forcing worship of the Antichrist (13:11-18), the 144,000 Jewish witnesses for Christ (14:1-5), and the three angels who bring judgment to the earth (14:6-20).

Now, in Revelation 15 there is a prelude to the next series of judgments. You will remember that God has already unleashed two sets of judgments upon the earth: 7 seal judgments (6:1-8:6) and 7 trumpet judgments (8:7-9:21; 11:15-19). This final set of judgments is referred to as the bowl or vial judgments. John writes, “I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the last seven plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete” (15:1). These seven bowls of wrath would be poured out upon those who have taken the mark of the beast, worshiped the image of the Antichrist, and ultimately rejected Jesus Christ. Each judgment is greater than the one before and John says that “the temple [in heaven] was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed” (15:8). John then hears a voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth” (16:1). Here are the judgments which follow:

First Bowl – people covered in painful sores (16:2)
Second Bowl – sea turns to blood/all creatures in it die (16:3)
Third Bowl – fresh water turns to blood (16:4-7)
Fourth Bowl – extreme heat from the sun (16:8-9)
Fifth Bowl – darkness on earth/continued pain from sores (16:10-11)
Sixth Bowl – Euphrates River dries up (16:12-16)
Seventh Bowl – Earthquake like no other/Hail from heaven (16:17-21)

As a result of this earthquake, John writes that “the great city [Jerusalem] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell” (16:19). This division is a positive thing because it will become the city where God establishes His millennial reign following the tribulation period (Revelation 20:4-6). John goes on to describe the impact of this earthquake on the rest of the world: “And great Babylon [Antichrist's central empire] was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (16:19-20). It appears that Jerusalem is the only city on earth left standing after God gets through with all the judgments. His final judgment will come at the conclusion of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth (20:7-10).

After the earthquake, God sends hail from heaven. This was not your typical hailstone because John describes the weight as being “a talent” which is about 75 pounds (16:21). This massive-sized hail will result in incredible destruction and loss of life. So how do men respond to God’s judgment upon them? John writes that they “blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since the plague was exceedingly great” (16:21). This reaction is really sad because they were blaspheming the very God who gave them life. It is hard for me to understand how men will still be able to express their hatred for God especially since He has offered them salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. All of this could have been avoided if they had only repented of their sin and expressed belief in Jesus. I guess men ultimately love sin more than they love God.

Dear God, each time I read about the future of those who reject Jesus, I am saddened by their fate. I pray that You would use people all over the world to warn of God’s pending judgment upon those who hate You and also offer hope through Jesus Christ. Make us see the urgency in this.

Continuing his supernatural vision given to him by God, John sees a Lamb (Jesus) on Mount Zion (Jerusalem) with the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (see Revelation 7:3-8) who had been given special protection while they spread the good news about Jesus Christ throughout the earth. John says that these 144,000 can be identified because “they have the Father’s name written on their foreheads” (14:1). In contrast to the mark of the beast (13:16-18), these servants will have some evident mark to show God’s ownership over them. The apostle John also goes on to describe these witnesses as singing a new song of redemption to God as those who had been kept pure through God’s power (14:3-4a). The most identifiable characteristic was that they followed the Lamb wherever He went and were found righteous before God. This righteousness was not through their own works, but a right standing before God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

After seeing the 144,000 witnesses, John mentions three angels who appear in the midst of heaven. The first angel has the “everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people – saying with a loud voice ‘Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’” Through this angel, the whole world will hear of the everlasting salvation available to all who will repent and believe in Jesus Christ (14:6-7). This angel was urging people to turn their loyalty from the Antichrist to the One, Jesus, who had the ability to save them. Many must ignore the declaration of the first angel because John sees another angel declaring that “Babylon is fallen…because she has made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (14:8). Babylon is the center of the Antichrist’s kingdom on earth and will eventually be destroyed (see Revelation 16:17-19). A third angel appears proclaiming judgment on any who worship the Antichrist (14:9-11). The final punishment of those who give their loyalty to him will spend eternity in hell where they will be tormented forever and ever having “no rest day or night” (14:11).

John then looks seeing a white cloud where the Son of Man sat with a sharp sickle in His hand (14:14). An angel cries out to Him saying “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of earth is ripe” (14:15). In reaction to the angel’s words, Jesus thrusts His sickle into the earth signifying severe judgment. Another angel comes out of the temple in heaven with a sickle and another angel comes from the altar in heaven telling the other angel to also “thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the wine of the earth, for the grapes are fully ripe (14:17-18). So the angel thrusts his sickle into the earth and he “gathered the wine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (14:19). This angel’s actions caused great judgment to come upon the earth. John describes the results of this judgment: “And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles [about 4 feet], for one thousand six hundred furlongs [184 miles]” (14:20). In these judgments, God’s wrath will be unleashed on all who are His enemies and have rejected salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. This passage is another sobering look at the swift destruction which is to come upon the inhabitants of the earth.

Dear God, I cannot imagine the devastation here on earth when You pour out Your wrath upon those who hate You. I know You love people and do not want them to suffer eternal punishment, so I pray You would send a fresh anointing upon Your people. Give us a passion to share the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope He offers to all who will repent and believe.

Revelation 11:15-12:17 offered up a description of some of the people who will be involved during the tribulation period, which are the seven years following the rapture of the church. This time of tribulation will bring extreme judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth for their rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior. Already we have seen a series of two judgments (7 seal judgments and 7 trumpet judgments) which have left many dead and great amounts of destruction upon the earth. Currently, we are in the midst of the seventh trumpet judgment (11:15) and John has written about the woman (Israel), the Child (Jesus Christ), and the dragon (Satan). Satan has been thrown out of heaven for the final time and in anger he turns his wrath upon Jews, but God sends special protection upon them (12:7-16). In frustration, Satan begins to wreck havoc for all those who believe in Jesus Christ (12:17).

We pick up the storyline in Revelation 13 when the dragon (Satan) gives power and authority to the beast (Antichrist). It appears that Satan stages the death of the Antichrist and then claims that he has been brought back from the dead (13:3). John writes that the people of the earth respond to this so-called miracle through marvelling and following the beast. John also records that the people “worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” (13:4) The Antichrist will be given great speaking power bringing deception upon mankind and he will speak blasphemies against God for three and a half years (13:5-6). He will also “make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (13:7-8). Even though the Antichrist will murder the saints, they will still be granted eternal life because they have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. However, those who have rejected Christ will be tormented on earth by the Antichrist whose purpose is to turn people away from God.

Another person arrives on the scene whose goal is to cause people to worship the Antichrist as God. He is often referred to as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10). He will deceive many through “great signs” and will cause them to set up an image of the Antichrist which will appear to be given life (13:11-15). Those who refuse to worship this image as God will be killed, but those who are deceived will receive a mark (666) “on their right hand or on their foreheads” (13:16, 18). Many have referred to this mark as the “mark of the beast” because taking this mark will allow a person to engage in daily activities needed for survival such as buying and selling (13:17). Without this mark, an individual will not be able to survive. This will obviously cause many to take the mark of the beast and mean certain death for those who refuse it. John paints a bleak picture for those who dwell on the earth during this future time. May God have mercy on many and may believers be motivated to see the fate of those who reject Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.

Dear God, place within me a vision of the things to come so that I might warn those who have rejected Jesus Christ. Through Your Holy Spirit, I pray that You would send conviction so that they might turn to You for mercy and grace.

The seventh angel sounded a trumpet ushering in the last trumpet judgment, which brought voices from heaven giving thanks to God for the establishment of His kingdom on earth (11:15). The twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:4), who represent the church, also fall down on their faces and worship God for His righteous rule (11:16-18). After this, John writes that “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (11:19). The ark of the covenant was a piece of furniture in the Old Testament tabernacle/temple and ultimately symbolized the presence of God as well as the atonement for sin and God’s covenant with His people. The earthly ark represented this one that John now saw in heaven which spoke of God’s redemption of sinners.

A great sign then appears in heaven and a woman with child cries “out in labor and in pain to give birth” (12:1-2). Without going into a ton of detail, this woman (not a literal woman) represents Israel who oftentimes in the Old Testament was pictured as being married to God (Isaiah 54:5-6). A second sign appears in heaven which is a “great, fiery red dragon” (12:3). John describes this dragon as “having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads” (12:3). This dragon is Satan and John even records the fact that the dragon (Satan), with his tail, “drew a third of the stars [angels] of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child [the Messiah] as soon as it was born [Herod demanding the death of all male children]” (12:4). The picture is clear. God promised a deliverer from sin (Genesis 3:15) and Satan made it his priority to make sure that this deliverer would not survive. John continues to write that the woman (Israel) “bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up [Jesus' ascension] to God and His throne” (12:5). Jesus did survive Satan’s attacks and rose victoriously from the dead to sit at the right hand of God. Now John sees the woman (Israel) fleeing into the wilderness “where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (12:6). The time spoken of here is the last three and a half years of the great tribulation period when Satan will do his best to terrorize Israel; however, God promises to protect them. The prophet Daniel gives some insight on what will happen during this time. For the first three and a half years, the Antichrist will make a peace covenant with Israel, but at the midpoint of the seven year tribulation he will break that covenant, discontinue temple worship, and defile temple worship (Daniel 9:27). This is called the abomination of desolation and as a result of it, many Jews will flee (Matthew 24:15-22).

Mimicking the chaos which is happening on earth, war will break out in heaven when Michael and his angels fight Satan and his angels (12:7). Satan and his angels will lose this battle and be cast to earth for the last time where he will become very angry and take his wrath out on the inhabitants of the earth (12:12). He will first go after Israel, but they will be given God’s special protection (12:13-16). In frustration, Satan will then take out his wrath on anyone who names the name of Christ (12:17).

Although we read this and are saddened by the devastation which Satan will pour out in the last days, we must remember that he is already destroying the inhabitants of the earth. He seeks to destroy their lives through temptation, sin, and discouragement. Those who claim to be followers of Christ must offer hope through Jesus Christ so we can help win the battle for souls right now. We must not wait until these judgments come upon the earth.

Dear God, make me a person who spreads the message of hope to those on earth. Use me at my job, in my neighborhood, and in my dealings with people every day to offer salvation to those without Jesus Christ.