The first half of Revelation 13 showed that Satan is not alone in his dragon-like warfare against Christ’s church. Summoning a beast from the sea, Satan gave him power to rule on the earth. The first beast represents government tyranny working in history against Christ and His church. The second half of the chapter shows that this first beast is also not alone. He is joined by a second beast who rises “out of the earth” (v. 11). If the sea beast represented the tyrannical power of Rome that arrived in Asia out of the sea, the beast from the earth represents local forces that collaborated with Rome. If the sea beast stands for vicious tyranny, the land beast is the propagandist who encourages people to worship him. Revelation 16:13 identifies this second beast as “the false prophet.” Whereas the first beast relied mainly on power, the second beast supports him with lies. The beast from the sea is a secular political power, while the beast from the earth is a religious institution fostering worship of the first beast.

The false prophet is the satanically inspired counterfeit of the two witnesses who bear testimony to Christ in this age (Rev. 11:3-11). The false prophet combats the gospel with subtle philosophies and false religions that promote the cause of the beast and the dragon. The second beast “exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast” (v. 12). John would have known this beast in the form of local provincial elites, in city after city and province after province, who do their best not only to copy the beast at a local level but insist, in order to keep the beast’s favor, that everybody in their domain should worship the beast.

Not only do the two horns form a contrast with the image of the church as two witnesses, but there is a clear parody of Christ: “It had two horns like a lamb” (v. 11). Christ rules for the good of His people, with a spirit of grace. The false prophet comes across in this way, but its actual speech is “like a dragon” (v. 11). Here is the wolf in sheep’s clothing about which Jesus warned us (Matt. 7:15), who teaches the doctrines of the world rather than the truths of God’s Word. This reminds Christians not to be taken in by the outward impression of public figures, but to consider carefully what they say and do in light of the Bible.

John forewarns that false prophets will speak deceptively to lead people into serving the first beast and its tyranny. The second beast also employs sign and wonders in this same cause (vv. 13-14). There are ancient church sources that tell of moving statues, fireball explosions, and pagan magicians who could make idols appear to speak and other such phenomena were effectively used in temples of John’s time.  By these means, the second beast again parodies the witnessing church.

Today, instead of cheap magic tricks, the advances of science and the achievements of government are hailed as proof of the false gospel of secular humanism. Technology then, becomes the worker of miraculous sign. Worship the power of the beast, the power of technocratic state organizations, the power of the expert, because technology can work wonders like no one else. Man replaces God and Christ with himself and in doing so succumbs to the full deception of the beast.

The beast from the earth serves the beast from the sea by false teaching and deceptive signs and wonders. Yet it could hardly be said to exercise the beast’s authority if it didn’t also employ deadly compulsion and persecution. This is the third approach by which the second beast advances the worship of the first beast and the dragon. It persuades its followers to “cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain” (v. 15). Furthermore, it causes everyone “to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name” (vv. 16-17).

The point is not that all Christians are slain under the influence of the second beast, but that worshipers of false religions will often display their zeal with violence against true religion; an example today would be where fanatical Muslims show their zeal for Allah by bombing Christian churches and beheading converts to Christ. Along with deadly force, the beast also enforces false worship by requiring everyone to receive the mark of the beast. John states that all face this requirement: small and great, rich and poor, free and slave (v. 16). No class of person can evade the obligation of displaying allegiance and submission to the state tyranny of the first beast.

Ultimately the mark of the beast involves a choice between the world and Christ. There is an obvious contrast between this mark and the mark that Christ’s people received in chapter 7. There, suffering believers were “sealed … on their foreheads” as servants of God (Rev. 7:3). Having already sought to counterfeit Christ, Satan now parodies God’s sealed church with his own mark-bearing legions.

John concludes this dramatic chapter with the point of his teaching: “This calls for wisdom” (v. 18). Looking back to chapter 12, with the vision of the dragon at war with the church, and then in chapter 13 with the tyrannical beast aided by false and beguiling ideology, we see that Christians need to be very wise. We must be wise in discerning the difference between true and false prophets, by paying careful attention to God’s Word. We must be wise in expecting to pay a price for our faith. All through Revelation, Jesus has promised salvation blessings only to those who persevere in faith and overcome spiritual warfare through their witness to Him.

John has a final form of wisdom in mind in the final verse. This is the wisdom that enables Christians to see the enemy for what he is, so that we will not be beguiled by his deceits or intimidated by his threats. The entire Bible bears testimony to God’s faithfulness in saving His people from spiritual attacks. Our wisdom thus calls us not to shrink back in our witness out of temptation or fear. John makes this point with the most well-known and most widely contested verse in this chapter, verse 18.

The best approach to unpacking the number 666 is to understand the symbolism of six. We have often encountered seven in Revelation as a number of completion and perfection (Rev. 1:11, 12, 20; 3:1). Six falls short of this number and is therefore imperfect, incomplete, and defective. This describes fallen mankind, which is why John says that this is “the number of a man” (v. 18). The dragon and his two beasts set themselves forward as a fake divine trinity. God’s judgment and Christ’s victory will reveal them as a triple fakery and threefold failure.

John says that understanding that we are opposed by a deadly triad of Satan, together with the tyrants and false prophets who serve him, calls for wisdom among Christians. The wisdom is not how to strike back at the beast with his own weapons but how to boldly declare the gospel message of Christ. The wisdom is not how to evade the beast’s tyranny but how to persevere in Christian courage and commitment. Having the beast’s number, knowing his limitations and his certain defeat, we can live without fear of his assault.

Knowing Jesus, calculating the infinite value of His cross, and trusting His perfection in glory and salvation, we are made bold to tell others about Him. John’s intent is that what the angel said of the victorious believers in chapter 12 would be said of us as we triumph in faith: “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Rev. 12:11).

Revelation 13:11-18 Study Questions:

How does the second beast differ from the first one?

Why might John note the detail that this beast has “two horns like those of a lamb” (v. 11)?

In what ways are national and local governments sometimes responsible for perpetuating evil rather than helping to overcome it?

Why does the second beast require everyone to be “marked” (vv. 16-17)?

We can understand the dilemma faced by those Christians back then. We like to think that we would always choose the reality and reject the parody. How are we tempted to compromise our faith in order to make life easier?

What can we do now so that, when we face even more serious situations, we respond well?

When studying Revelation, we constantly need to realize that we are not reading future history out of a newspaper but are learning the spiritual realities of our present age through a visionary-prophetic picture book. It is especially necessary to stress this approach today, when many Christians do not even try to understand Revelation because of the confusing teaching they have heard. Yet the visions provided to John in Revelation should be as familiar to believers as Jesus’ well-known parables, such as those of the prodigal son, and the Good Samaritan. An example is the vision of the dragon, the woman, and the child in Revelation 12. This dramatization of spiritual warfare in the church age should provide an easy-to-understand mental picture to all Bible believers. This vision shows how Satan failed to destroy Jesus in His first coming and that now Satan vainly rages against the church in anger over his inevitable failure.

Another principle to remember is that Revelation’s symbols must be interpreted not from speculations about current events but from parallels in the Old Testament. An example is seen in the final statement of chapter 12, “And he [the dragon] stood on the sand of the sea” (Rev 12:17). The reader familiar with Old Testament imagery expects some dreadful evil to appear, since the sea is the realm of chaos and rebellion, a virtual synonym for the Abyss of hell. The vision of chapter 11 earlier spoke of “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit,” who makes war on the witnessing church (11:7). Now that same warfare will be depicted from the enemy perspective, as John watches. He records, “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea” (13:1).

The prophet Daniel received a vision showing four beasts who represented evil imperial powers on earth. Daniel’s beasts represented the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome that would successively rise in history (Dan. 7:1-8). Each of these kingdoms would harm God’s people, but be ultimately supplanted by Christ. Daniel was told that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Dan. 7:18).

As John presents a beast like Daniel’s, he sees him rising out of the dark water, describing each part as it breaks the surface (Rev. 13:1). Like Daniel’s fourth beast, which represented imperial Rome, this beast has ten horns (Dan. 7:7). Like the dragon of Revelation 12, this beast has seven heads, ten horns, and royal diadems (Rev. 12:3). These parallels connect this beast with the Roman Empire and identify him as a servant who wields Satan’s might.

John described this beast as having “ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads” (v. 1). These give the general impression of the beast as coming with powers, rulers, and thrones under his control. In Daniel’s vision, the fourth beast’s ten horns represented kings who would rise (Dan 7:24). The fact that these horns each wear diadems confirms that they are royal persons. The beast has crowns on his horns, whereas the dragon of Revelation 12 had crowns on his head, which suggests that this indicates that while the dragon is the king of the evil empire, the beast is the military arm of the king. The “blasphemous names on its head” points to false claims to deity made by earthly rulers. The Roman emperors gave themselves the titles of lord, savior, son of God, and lord and god.

As the beast rises further, John describes it more fully in verse 2. This description combines the different beasts of Daniel’s vision, each of which emphasized separate kingdoms. This beast, therefore, is a composite of all the beasts that Daniel saw. This suggests that John’s beast is greater than any of the individual empires, even that of Rome. The beast from the sea represents all the empires throughout human history that have stood against God and His people. The fact that this beast exercises authority for forty-two months (v. 5), that is, for the entirety of the church age, shows that this beast represents more than the ancient Rome that persecuted the churches of John’s time – it represents the entirety of violent earthly empires that oppose Christ’s kingdom and people.

The question may be raised whether this beast from the sea should be equated with the Antichrist. The answer is yes, if the Antichrist is biblically understood. The term is used only in the epistles of John, where the apostle spoke of those who opposed the revelation of Jesus (1 John 2:18). This verse states that the Antichrist is a figure who will appear in the end, but who is represented throughout church history by many who are like him. John added that “every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (1 John 4:3; see also 2 John 7). This spirit is exemplified in the beast from the sea, which “was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words (v. 5). Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 indicated that there would be an ultimate Antichrist before Christ returned, whom he named as the “man of lawlessness.” Yet he is represented throughout the church age by blasphemous powers in opposition to Christ.

One of the most significant features of the beast in Revelation 13 is the way he parodies the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Revelation, Christ wears “many diadems” (Rev. 19:12), so the beast has his many crowns; Christ has a worthy name written on Him (19:12), so the beast bears blasphemous names; Christ has people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (5:9), so the beast assumes power “over every tribe and people and language and nation (13:7); Christ is worshiped together with God (7:10), so the beast demands false worship together with Satan (13:4). In keeping with these counterfeits, John says of the beast: “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast” (Rev. 13:3).

John informs us that the beast has two main agendas. The first is the gathering of false worship to himself and through himself to Satan (13:4). Christians can identify the false worship of Satan and his beast when it derives from raw power and earthly glory, acting contrary to God’s Word and drawing people away from faith in Jesus. Whenever we are called to give unquestioned allegiance and worship to a human ruler, we should see him as the beast behind which stands Satan in his desperate bid to usurp God’s throne. This is not to say that all government is evil. Paul used his Roman citizenship and was often helped by honest Roman officials. The beast is seen when government takes the place of God in our lives. When the government is set forth as “the remedy for all ills – economic, social, medical, moral, and even spiritual” – then the idolatry of the state usurps the place reserved for God alone.

John records his vision of the beast to warn believers of what to expect, starting with the churches of Asia that faced the bestial Roman emperor Domitian. John concludes with three applications: first, our source of hope; second, our calling in persecution; and third, the victory we win through perseverance in faith.

Where can Christians find hope for salvation against so dreadful a beast, who exercises worldwide dominion and authority? The answer is in the sovereign God who has ultimate dominion and authority over this world, over Satan and his beast, and over our lives. With God’s sovereign will providing hope to suffering Christians, John next directs us to our humble calling (v. 10). Christ’s people are told that we can expect persecution. This calling does not preclude us from taking prudent steps to avoid persecution, but it does mean that when persecution comes, Christians must embrace it with faith and a resolve to do God’s will.

John concludes this passage with one of Revelation’s many stirring appeals to perseverance in faith despite all affliction: “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints” (v. 10). Satan and his beast, together with their followers, think us defeated when we are put down in persecution, yet through perseverance in faith Christians have victory through Jesus Christ. Christ comes to His faithful suffering people with blessing and power. When we possess Christ by faith, despite all persecution, we gain eternal life, justification by grace, adoption as God’s children, and an inheritance in glory. With these eternal blessings we also have His daily help, when we refuse to yield to the beast but persevere in faith.

Revelation 13:1-10 Study Questions:

What does John see rising out of the sea next to the dragon and how does he describe it (vv. 1-2)?

This passage draws heavily on a section from the Old Testament that was hugely popular in the first century. Read Daniel 7:2-8. What similarities and differences do you see between Daniel 7 and Revelation 13?

In verses 3-4, how do the inhabitants of the earth respond to the beast? Why does the beast make life miserable for the people of God (vv. 5-8)?

The last verse of this section may reflect John’s sober realism when contemplating the scene he has now drawn. Some people are going to be taken captive, while others are going to be killed with the sword. John says in verse 10 that our proper response to this harsh reality is to be patient and have faith. What does it look like to live this way in such circumstances?

Verses 1-6 introduced the players in this holy war, showing how God overcame the devil through the birth and the saving ministry of Christ. Starting in verse 7, the vision continues by showing the devil’s ongoing warfare against believers. Satan suffered a terrible defeat in the coming of Christ so that his activities are curtailed. Nonetheless, he continues to rage with the resources he has left in the spiritual warfare that marks this age between the first and second comings of Christ.

According to verse 7, not only does spiritual warfare take place on the earth between Christ and His people and Satan and his servants, but there is also warfare in the spiritual realm of angels. Verses 7-8 describe this long-foretold holy war. To understand this passage, we must realize that this battle took place during the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, culminating with His ascension into heaven. Verse 13 reports that after the dragon “had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” This means that the dragon was cast down just before the church age. Jesus’ victory on the cross, crowned with His ascension to heaven’s throne, defeated Satan and his army, after which “there was no longer any place for them in heaven… and Satan…was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (vv. 8-9).

What does it mean for Satan to be “thrown down” put out of heaven? Verse 10 answers that “the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before God.” Christ has silenced Satan’s attempts to accuse Christians before God. When Jesus completed His redemptive work for sinners and took His place on God’s throne, Satan no longer could come before God to criticize the saints. Jesus is there now, where Satan at one time could walk in and out before God. Jesus is there now as our advocate rather than Satan as our accuser (see Job 1:6-12).

Given the emphasis of this passage, it is important for Christians to understand how Christ defeated our accuser and how we overthrow him today. Verse 11 tells us not only that Christ defeated Satan but that His people routed the dragon: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Satan’s warfare of accusation against believers has been defeated by the blood of Christ and by our gospel witness.

First it is by Christ’s blood that believers overthrow the accusations of the devil. The reason that Satan appeared in heaven to accuse us was that he was seeking our eternal condemnation under God’s law. Before Jesus’ death, Satan had a good case against God’s people. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, Satan has likewise lost the ability to accuse you in the court of God’s justice. It isn’t that you haven’t sinned, for you have. But as 1 John 1:7 puts it, “the blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Second, Christians conquer by “the word of their testimony (v. 11). Satan wants news of his defeat kept as quiet as possible! But when Christians spread the good news of forgiveness in Christ, Satan’s power is diminished. Satan has a hold over our family members and friends by the accusation in their consciences that they can never be accepted by God. Christians conquer this diabolical warfare by telling the truth of Christ’s saving blood. After Jesus sent out His evangelists, they came back rejoicing that they had cast out demons (Luke 10:17). We, too, wield power against Satan’s kingdom whenever we testify to the good news of Christ’s saving work.

Third, Christians conquer because “they loved not their lives even unto death” (v. 11). Since Christ has saved us by His blood, we not only proclaim the gospel but hold onto it for our salvation even to the point of death. We embrace all manner of suffering for Christ’s sake, including the daily battle with sin to which we are called in our sanctification. It’s not easy to suffer for Christ in this present evil age, but a true believer will endure anything rather than give up his or her faith in Jesus. Without the gospel, when you stand before God, all Satan’s accusations will ring true, and you will be damned with Satan. This points out how important it is that each of us should confess our sin, trust in Jesus, and be cleansed at His cross. Satan wants to accuse you before God, and he has all the evidence he could possibly need. The only way for you to be delivered from the eternal wrath of God is to turn to Jesus, receive in faith His death on the cross for your sins, and then live forever by trusting in His gospel.

The final verses of Revelation 12 explain the situation of Christians and the church after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, showing two results in our present age from Christ’s victory. The first is the eternal rejoicing of heaven and its inhabitants, and the second is the temporary suffering of the church. Christ’s victory causes praise and rejoicing in heaven (vv. 10-12), but Satan’s fall to the earth causes us temporary suffering in this present age (v. 12). The final section of chapter 12 depicts Satan’s attempt to afflict the church on earth, since he can no longer accuse Christians in heaven (v. 13). Satan seeks to harm believers in time because he cannot touch eternity; he seeks to thwart our earthly solicitude because he cannot thwart Christ’s saving of our souls. Satan is livid about his defeat and hates nothing more than believers in Christ who obey God’s Word and witness to the gospel (v. 17).

Satan persecutes the church here on earth not because he thinks he can take away our salvation but because he knows that he cannot. The devil is driven by pure malice in the face of certain defeat. However disturbing it is to contemplate his malice; its futility is still encouraging to suffering Christians when friends or governments unrighteously turn against us, when false accusations hurt us, or when we are treated unfairly because of our faith! Through Christ’s blood and the word of our testimony, we have the victory above, and for this reason we suffer Satan’s attack here on earth. Persecution for Christ’s sake thus shows that we belong to the Savior whom the world crucified so long ago, but who has already conquered.

Finally, John was shown visions drawing from Old Testament imagery that show God’s protection and provision for the woman during the dragon’s persecution (v. 14). The Old Testament often spoke of God’s carrying His people to safety on wings of eagles (Ex. 19:4-6; Deut. 32:10-11). This symbolizes God’s supernatural intervention to deliver the church from danger. As we have seen many times in our studies, “a time, times, and half a time” equals three and half years, which symbolizes the tribulation of the church throughout this present age. God not only brings His people to safety, but causes our faith to be nourished, primarily through the heavenly manna of His Word.

Yet Satan still attempts to rage (v. 16). Satan’s deceits are like a flood that would drown us, just as Pharaoh sought to drown Israel in the Red Sea waters, but God intervenes to save us. Revelation 1:16 spoke of a “sharp two-edged sword” that came from Jesus’ mouth, speaking of His gospel message; in contrast, the flood coming from Satan’s mouth highlights the false teaching by which he wants to sweep away the unsettled and unwary. However, if we will daily embrace the cross-bearing death of Jesus, giving our testimony to His salvation, we will conquer “by the blood of the Lamb” (v. 11).

Revelation 12:7-17 Study Questions:

Who was involved in the war that breaks out in heaven (v. 7)?

What happens to the dragon and his angels after the war (vv. 8-9)?

If the war has taken place in heaven, why are the Lamb’s people on earth given credit for the victory instead of Michael or God himself (v. 11)?

What does the dragon do once he is thrown down to earth (vv. 13, 15)?

What spiritual accusations beset you, your community or God’s people as a whole today?

What hope and strength does this chapter give as we face those challenges?

Chapter 12 begins the second half of Revelation. The first half provided general overviews of history. We saw the world’s opposition to the gospel, Christ’s judgments on the wicked nations, and our calling to persevere in faith. The second half of Revelation homes in on the chief characters in the spiritual warfare taking place behind the scenes. The primary enemy is Satan, the dragon. He is aided by two beasts, the harlot Babylon, and the people who bear the mark of the beast. One by one, these figures are introduces in chapters 12-15, and one by one their defeat and judgment is shown in chapters 16-20.

Located as it is in the center of the book, Revelation 12 is considered by many scholars as the central and key vision. It depicts the decisive conflict between the church, the devil, and the royal child, Jesus Christ. Here is provided the background of spiritual conflict behind Jesus’ words of great assurance, given on the night before His victory on the cross: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The first half of the book of Revelation concludes with the vision of the opening of God’s temple to reveal the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing the believers’ access into God’s presence, accompanied with lightning, thunder, and hail. As the book was being read aloud to its first recipients, there would likely have been a pause. So with the previous vision still lingering in the air, John continues: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (v. 1). The previous vision’s having concluded with heaven opened, the new vision begins with a depiction of the glorious church.

John makes it clear that this is not an actual woman but rather a symbol, referring to her as a “sign” that he saw in heaven. John says in verse 17 that this woman’s children include all “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” The woman, therefore, is the covenant community of God’s faithful people, through whom God brought His Son, the long-promised Savior, into the world. She includes both Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church, the people of God living both before and after Christ’s coming. Thus, this glorious woman not only gives birth to the Messiah but continues having children after His ascension.

In a world scarred by mankind’s fall into sin, childbearing always involves painful travail. So it is for the covenant mother: “She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth” (v. 2). This statement summarizes the entire history of Israel, with all the travails, until finally the long-promised Messiah was born.

This vision of the heavenly woman also reminds us of the mission of the church. She is clothed in light, and we are to shine forth with the light of God’s Word. She is holy, and we are to be conformed not to the world but to the character of our Lord. Her mission is to deliver Christ, and our mission is to proclaim Him as Lord and Savior. The church does not exist to provide a variety of human services to the world but to cause Christ to be born in sinners’ hearts so that they may be saved. The church is the mother to God’s covenant children, and we are to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There were travails for Israel before Christ was born, and there are afflictions for the church in this present age. But we are precious to God, radiant in His redemptive purpose, and He is the strong, loving, and faithful Father who will keep the mother of all His children safe.

Chapter 12 presents what may be regarded as history’s primary explanation, a great spiritual conflict raging behind the scenes. Verse 3 presents a mighty and terrible monster at war with Christ. Beneath all the action on the surface of history is a great spiritual enemy seeking to destroy the church. John identifies him in verse 9 as “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.” John sees Satan as a great red dragon, the color evidently standing for bloodshed and murder. Jesus said, “He was a murder from the beginning” (John 8:44).

The dragon is further seen “with seven heads and ten horns and on his head seven diadems” (v. 3). In ancient mythology, the many headed dragon seemed impossible to defeat. Likewise, Satan has heads and fangs in many places of worldly influence, and he acts with shocking dexterity. To thwart him in one arena is to find him attacking in another. Along with the seven heads are “ten horns.” In the Bible, horns symbolize strength, and the ten horns speak of the strength of evil in this world under the devil’s power. The “seven diadems” on his heads are not like the laurel crown of victory worn by the woman but are crowns on his usurped earthly dominion. Paul thus described Satan as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). Satan does not serve but only rules. His crowns are the iron crowns of tyranny.

John is told that the dragon’s “tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth” (v. 4). This vision symbolizes the arrogant aims of his warfare on earth against the church. This same language was used in Daniel 8:10 of Antiochus Epiphanes, the great persecutor of the Jews. The point seems to be that Satan intends for his malicious actions on earth to do damage in heaven. The dragon attacks God’s order and rule. He assaults heaven itself, symbolized by the effect on the heavenly bodies.

The third figure introduced in the vision is this all-important Savior (v. 5). In describing Christ, John alludes to Psalm 2, which says that though the nations rage against God’s anointed One; God enthrones His Son and grants Him possession of the nations. “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:9), God declares. Echoing this language, the woman bears a male child who “is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (Rev. 12:5). The nations belong to Christ as the field of His gospel harvest. We either submit adoringly to Him as Lord and Savior or fall under His rod of judgment; moreover, His rod protects the church as a shepherd defends his flock against the wild beasts.

In John’s vision, the woman’s “child was caught up to God and to his throne” (v. 5). At the very cusp of Satan’s apparent triumph, with Jesus lying dead in the grave, God raised His Son from Satan’s clutches and exalted Him in power, causing the devil’s strategy to collapse in defeat. John will elaborate further details of the holy war as the chapter continues, but the opening vision connects with us now by telling what happens to the woman after her child was born and taken up safely to God’s throne (v. 6).

Verse 6 makes three vital applications for us today. The first is that Christians must not think of this present world as home, for now is the time of our wilderness journey. This life is a time of testing in preparation for our true home when Christ returns. The world under the devil’s power is hostile to faithful Christians. Christians must therefore be spiritually strong and biblically wary, for behind earthly opposition and moral perversity stand spiritual forces of evil, led by Satan himself. Our spiritual warfare relies on the spiritual resources of prayer, God’s Word, and holy lives. Our calling from God is not to overthrow the spiritual powers of darkness, for we are not slayers of the dragon. Rather we are simply to stand against him.

Second, verse 6 emphasizes God’s care for the woman who fled into the desert. We have seen that 1,260 days, or forty-two months symbolizes a period of trial and tribulation. This duration depicts the church age, the limited period prescribed by God during which believers suffer affliction. But notice as well that the wilderness is designed by God as a place of safety for the woman. By stepping away from the ungodliness of the world, Christians are preserved from ravages of sin.

Finally, we are to remember that our enemy is a defeated foe. This knowledge makes a difference in our fight. The child of the woman has come. He has conquered sin and Satan on the cross and risen to heaven with the Father. He has promised to return and end the war in total victory. There are still battles, some of them bloody and painful, that God’s people must fight. You and I must take hard stands that may prove costly. But we stand for Jesus, not only grateful for His love but certain of His victory in the end.

How inspiring it is in the trials, failures, and sorrows of this life to be shown the glorious vision of how God sees the church, clothed in glory and crowned with stars! How wondrous it is to realize that history consists of the struggle of the child to be born and His victory over the terrible dragon; and how solemn it is to realize that we have a place in this titanic struggle. Christ, the Lamb, has conquered by His blood. What significance we find for our lives if we stand firm in faith and bear our testimony to the glory of His kingdom!

Revelation 12:1-6 Study Questions:

What two signs appear in heaven (vv. 1, 3)?

What clue does John give us in verse 5 about the identity of the woman’s child (see also Psalm 2:9)?

The dragon is a figure of considerable power. Why does he seek to devour the child?

How are the mother and child protected?

How are God’s people under attack from dark spiritual forces today?

How does this vision help us to better understand where God is in the midst of the chaos and suffering that so often afflict His people?

As we conclude Revelation 11, we finally hear the seventh trumpet, for which we have been waiting since the sixth trumpet blew back in chapter 9. When Joshua entered the promised land, it was the seventh trumpet that brought down the walls of Jericho (Josh. 6:20). Now the seventh trumpet of heaven blows and the exodus journey of the church is completed with the return of Christ and the final defeat of all our foes. The cry of victory for Christ’s kingdom teaches those of us who are still living in this age, before the final trumpet, that our prayer for God’s kingdom to come will one day be fully answered (Matt. 6:10).

Seeing that this is the kingdom of the “Christ,” we remember that this title refers to Jesus in all His anointed offices. He is not only the Great King who will reign in righteousness over His people forever. He is also the Great Prophet who will eternally reveal the glory of God to believers. And He is the Great High Priest whose atoning sacrifice eternally secures our salvation. Hebrews 7:25 affirms that “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” As long as Christ lives, (“he shall reign forever and ever” [v. 15]) our salvation cannot be overthrown!

John wasn’t the only one to hear the seventh trumpet and the declaration of Christ’s kingdom. We are again shown the “twenty-four elders,” who first appeared in chapter 4 as angelic representatives of the Old and New Testament church, sitting on thrones that represent the church’s inclusion in Christ’s reign. These “elders…fell on their faces and worshiped God” (v. 16). These angelic rulers are clothed in white to show the holiness of the church that is washed of sin in Christ’s blood. Since they dwell in the very throne room of heaven, they fall at God’s feet and sing: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign” (v. 17). In this worship song, the kingdom of Christ announced by the seventh trumpet is celebrated.

While verse 17 thanks God for Christ’s kingdom, verse 18 celebrates the outline of what happens in His coming. On one side of Christ’s reign is the coming of God’s final wrath on all evil and evildoers. The on the other side is the eternal blessing bestowed on believers, who like the twenty-four elders are clothed in white garments cleansed of sin.

First, the elders sing, “The nations raged, but your wrath came” (v. 18). This is typical of the world’s entire conspiracy against the will of God, the reign of God, and especially the Word of God. Psalm 2 asked, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” It makes no sense, but “the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Ps. 2:1-2). In those words the entirety of human history can be charted. God has taken up His reign, and justice will be done on the oppressors and the perverters. In order for there to be an eternal punishment of sin, Christ’s return signals “the time has come for judging the dead…and destroying those who destroy the earth” (v. 18). The destroyers are destroyed forever by the conquering King Jesus, so that His land may enjoy blessing and peace forever.

Verse 19 is not only the final verse of this chapter but the conclusion of the first half of this book. By mentioning “God’s temple in heaven,” it bookends the vision of chapter 4, which began in the temple throne room of God. The first half of Revelation provided broad but vitally informative visions covering the grand sweep of Christian history. The visions that begin in chapter 12 focus in greater detail on the enemies of Christ and how Christ defeats them all, most significantly the false trinity of Satan and his two beasts.

The seven trumpets and the view of history they have provided conclude with God’s temple opened. Christ is not yet directly shown, for more of Revelation is yet to be read, but His great Old Testament emblem is revealed: “The ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, pearls of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” (v. 19). The seventh trumpet having declared Christ’s kingdom and the song of praise having celebrated the kingdom, the kingdom is now consummated so that the way is opened for Christ’s people to enter His glory.

The ark represented God’s saving presence, but the Israelites never actually saw it: even those who transported it received special instructions for how to cover the ark without looking on it. The reason lay in the holiness of God and the sinfulness of the people. Only the high priest saw the ark, once a year, when he brought the atoning blood to sprinkle on it for the forgiveness of the nation. That the ark is now open to sight indicates that the issue of sin has been done away with for believers in Jesus. When Jesus died, the temple veil that had once protected the ark was torn from top to bottom: the way into God’s glorious presence is now open through Jesus Christ.

The Ark of the Covenant is seen, the symbol of God’s faithfulness in bestowing grace on His people and inflicting vengeance on His people’s enemies. How wonderful it is that the trumpet visions in Revelation 8-11, like the seal visions in chapters 6-7, conclude with a reminder that believers in Christ have nothing to fear because of sin. A judgment is coming that will be unspeakably dreadful for those who oppose God and His Word. For the ungodly, history will end with the same kind of crash that brought down the walls of Jericho! But Christians, though we are so conscious of our sin, are caused to gaze on God’s Ark of the Covenant, which can be seen only by those who are freed from sin. The message is that we should not fear for the return of Christ, the great event of history yet to come and the grand conclusion of the gospel age launched by Christ’s resurrection from the grave.

The Bible states that when Christ returns and sets up His throne, all humanity will stand, not by tradition but by divine compulsion for judgment. Only those who have trusted Christ and His blood for forgiveness of sin are called out of His final judgment. The seventh trumpet proclaims that Jesus, who died for sin and rose from the grave, will return in glory to establish a kingdom of righteousness that will never end. This is either the best or worst of news for you: are you sure which one it is? The Bible says that you may be declared righteous in Christ through faith, cleansed by the blood of His cross and born again by His resurrection power.

While the enemies of Christ must stand in His terrible judgment, the time for believers to stand is now. If the twenty-four elders who fell on their faces praising God are any indication, we will fall down in adoration of our Savior on that day, casting at His feet the crowns He has given us (Rev. 4:10). But now as we await His coming, we are to stand as those who know what song will be playing when history comes to its end. We are to stand for God’s truth in our teaching and living, stand for His mercy in our gospel outreach, and stand for His glory and kingdom by living holy lives and refusing to swear allegiance to the kingdom of this world in sin. If we stand in faith, by His grace, we will hear with joy the trumpet sounding in that day, and the voices from heaven crying out in wonder: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (v. 15).

Revelation 11:15-19 Study Questions:

When have you seen a dramatic event draw people to God?

What happens when the seventh angel blows his trumpet?

How will the kingdom of God look different than the kingdom of this world as we now know it?

Here we have a promise that God will put all things right. This is our great hope. How does this encourage you as you consider the specific people and situations for which you’re currently praying about and trusting God?

In our last study (vv. 1-2) we discovered John was told to measure the temple, with its altar and worshipers, depicting the true church of faithful believers. The outer court, depicting the false church of nominal Christians, was excluded. For forty-two months the nations will trample the church, though God’s protective barrier will preserve its spiritual life. This number depicts not a length of time but a kind of history, namely, one of violent opposition to Christ and His church. This was the very situation that John’s original readers faced in the late first century and that many Christians face in the early twenty-first century.

Verse 3 begins with “And,” showing that we are continuing the vision that began in verse 1. The church is described in the figure of “two witnesses” in light of the Bible’s requirement that truth be established by the testimony of two (Deut. 17:6). This emphasizes the legal validity of the church’s witness to the gospel, just as God often sent two angels to announce judgment or validate truth (Gen. 19:1; Luke 24:3-9; Acts 1:10-11). We realize as well that Jesus sent out evangelists “two by two” (Luke 10:1), so the emblem of two witnesses speaks of the church in its evangelistic calling.

John is told that the church “will prophesy for 1,260 days” (v. 3). In this context, to prophesy means to “declare God’s Word.” Some wonder why the time is here expressed in days rather than the months of verse 2. One possible answer is that verse 2 spoke of the siege of the church, and sieges are normally measured in months. The witness of the church, however, is a day-to-day endeavor.

Verse 4 describes the purpose of the church’s witness as “the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Jesus described John the Baptist as “a burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35). A lamp does not shine its own light but reflects the light that shines on it. Christians likewise do not bear testimony to ourselves, but the church is a lampstand on which the light of Christ is to be seen. John the Baptist said of Christ: “I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31). As lampstands stand “before the Lord of the earth” (v. 4), Christians are justified in God’s presence through the blood of Christ, and then reveal the truth of His Word and the grace of His gospel to the world.

By its testimony, the church not only serves the Lord but is kept safe in the presence of danger (v. 5). This is an allusion to the episode in 2 Kings 1:10-14, when the prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume soldiers sent to arrest him. The point is that when the church witnesses boldly and faithfully, God’s Word has power over her enemies. Some Christians are tempted to shrink back from boldly declaring God’s Word as it comes into conflict with worldly values and practices. But we are reminded that we should not fear to declare God’s Word faithfully, since God protects those who valiantly stand for His truth.

Verse 6 speaks of the church’s witnessing power through prayer. The witnessing church of the gospel era will not be equipped with less power than the Old Testament heroes but through prayer will wield conquering power. The apostle James urged that the “prayer of a righteous person has great power,” and appealed to the example of Elijah: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth” (James 5:16-17).

Taken as a whole, John’s vision in Revelation 11 shows the power of the witnessing church, through the Word, sacraments, and prayer by the power of God’s Spirit. By these “ordinary means of grace,” the church is enabled to declare the truth of God’s Word, prevail over evil, and deliver sinners from judgment. Such is God’s power in the church that His witnesses cannot be defeated until Christians have given their testimony. But as verse 7 states, “when they have finished their testimony,” the world will wage violent war against them.

Verse 7 introduces a figure who will be prominent in the rest of Revelation, “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit,” who, once the Christians have given their witness, “will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.” Then “their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.” (vv. 8-9).

John places this dreadful event in a location characterized by three biblical images. The slaying of the witnesses summarizes satanic opposition to the gospel throughout this present age, following the pattern that will be developed more fully in later chapters of Revelation. First is the city of Sodom, which represents perverse sexual abominations and idolatrous sin. Second is Egypt, where God’s holy people were kept in bondage and God’s message was hard-heartedly despised. Third is the crucifixion of Jesus outside Jerusalem, representing the rejection of God’s Messiah and His gospel. Verse 8 instructs that these images are to be taken “symbolically,” or, more literally, “in a spiritual manner.” The point is that they represent not a place in the world but the world itself in its sensual harlotry, violent persecution, and idol-worshiping false religion as it militantly opposes the gospel.

No doubt the beast in John’s vision believed he had finally defeated the Christian witness. The Jewish leaders thought the same when they had arranged Jesus’ crucifixion outside Jerusalem. Likewise, Saul of Tarsus perceived victory in the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen. But as with Jesus, so it is with His church, that crucifixion is followed by a resurrection through the power of God (v. 11). John’s vision, together with church history, shows that the world’s victories over the church are temporary and empty because of God’s resurrection power.

John’s vision further shows the church ascending to heaven in verse 12. We remember that this vision takes place between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and therefore it draws near to Christ’s return and the gathering in of the saints. Yet this is far from a “secret rapture,” since “their enemies watched them.” The gathering of Christ’s church in His return will see the vindication of His persecuted people. Accompanying the resurrection of Christ’s witness is a corresponding judgment on the wicked (v. 13). The symbolism of an earthquake shows the shaking and shattering of idolatrous power and worldly opposition to God. This effect occurs whenever the gospel is proclaimed in the power of God.

The angel concludes John’s vision by crying, “The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come” (v. 14). The third woe on the world will be the final judgment when the seventh trumpet is blown and Christ returns to end the age. Until that end in final judgment, the woe on God’s enemies means the continued blessing of the church’s gospel witness.

God preserves His gospel witness so that sinners can yet be saved. God’s preservation of the gospel offers salvation to you, if you will only repent and believe. This is the best way for you to give glory to God in light of His church’s mighty witness to the gospel: not in judgment through obstinate unbelief but in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Then God will use you as His witness, and though you may suffer death for Jesus and His Word, God’s resurrection power will raise you up to never-ending life.

Revelation 11:3-14 Study Questions:

What are the tasks of the two witnesses, and what do they have the authority to do (vv. 3-6)? Why two witnesses?

How is God calling us to bear witness to Jesus today despite various obstacles?

If we understand the two witnesses to be symbolic for the whole of God’s people, in what way might it be said that they “tormented those who lived on the earth”?

What is the ultimate fate of the two witnesses (vv. 11-12)?

Why do the people remaining on earth suddenly “[glorify] the God of heaven” (v. 13)?

When John ate the scroll given him by the angel, an important change came over the narrative. From this point forward John is no longer a mere observer viewing the last days of mankind on earth as if watching a news broadcast. For the rest of this compelling story John himself becomes a part of the action.

Revelation 11 begins with two verses in which John is called on to participate in the action of the book. He was “given a measuring rod like staff,” presumably by the mighty angel who had met him in the preceding chapter. John was then told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple” (vv. 1-2). Our first challenge is to identify what is represented by the temple, its altar, and the outer court.

The vision of Revelation 11:1-2 centers on the image of the temple, which throughout the New Testament is primarily used to describe the Christian church. Paul told Christians that “you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor. 3:16). “For we are the temple of the living God,” he adds; “as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Cor. 6:16. Peter said that Christians are together “being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

In this context, then, a literal understanding of temple is not that of a building like that which was replaces by Christ and His church, but, the focus is now on the whole covenant community forming a spiritual temple in which God’s presence dwells. Some of the visions of Revelation depict God in a heavenly temple, but without exception it is Christians who gather there to worship God and the Lamb.

Understanding this vision symbolically, we realize that John is told to measure the temple to show God’s commitment to preserve the church through the tribulations of this age. This vision, then, is analogous to the sealing of God’s servants in Revelation 7. At the same time, John is told not to “measure the court outside the temple” (v. 2)., which stands for nominal Christians associated with the church but not truly belonging. This concern for false or merely outward faith, together with false teaching, was emphasized in Jesus’ letters to the churches. The “holy city” in verse 2 symbolizes the church community, which during this present age will be trampled by the nations, symbolizing the unbelieving world. John’s command to measure the church therefore assures true believers that they will be protected and saved during the persecutions of this world, whereas merely outward professors of faith not only will be unprotected but will even join with unbelievers to persecute the true church.

When John is told that the holy city will be trampled by unbelievers, the duration given to him is “forty-two months” (v. 2). This period will repeatedly occur in Revelation – in this form, as three and a half years, or as 1,260 days, all of which equal the same length of time. In keeping with the different approaches to interpreting Revelation, a far better way to handle the forty-two months of verse 2 is symbolically. The forty-two months refers to the persecution that Christians suffer throughout the ages. This interpretation matches the vision of Revelation 12, in which the church goes out into the wilderness for three and a half years (“a time, and times, and a half a time”), during which she is protected from the dragon and nourished by God (Rev. 12:14). This too, shows the present are in which God’s people face continued persecution but are kept safe by our Sovereign Lord.

It remains important for us to apply these verses as they speak to believers today. The message is that, living in an age that is hostile to Christ and His followers, Christians must draw close to God, trusting in Christ’s blood, calling on God in prayer, and gathering with fellow believers for worship. The Lord extends His measuring rod to encompass those who are close to His presence, establishing a barrier to keep them safe for a salvation that will be revealed at the end of the age.

A special warning is given here to merely nominal believers, those who attend church but do not belong to the spiritual body of Christ’s true followers. They are like the Gentiles who were admitted to the former temple’s outer courts. “Do not measure the court outside the temple,” John is told (v. 2), showing that those who are Christians in name only are not protected by God; in fact, the nominal, worldly church “is given over to the nations” (v. 2). The institutional church and its apparatus, apart from a living faith in Jesus and a commitment to God’s Word, is annexed by the world. It is the nominal church that much of the persecution is launched against true believers. This happens today in the false teaching pouring forth from unbelieving seminaries and worldly church pulpits.

Are you a Christian in name only, not having received the Bible’s message in an obedient faith and not embracing its message of judgment for sin and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? Are you one who attends Christian events and uses Christian language, but has never relied of Christ for your personal salvation or surrendered your life to Jesus your Lord? If so, not only are you outside salvation, but you will not tolerate true, biblical Christianity. Revelation 11:2 gives a dreadful description of those who occupy the periphery of the church but do not worship “in spirit and truth” in the temple of Christ’s true church (John 4:24).

Understanding not only how history ends but also the times in which we are currently living, we consider John’s vision as urging true Christians to dwell close to God’s presence. The altar that John mentions speaks both of our reliance on Christ’s atoning blood for forgiveness and of the altar of prayer where we call on God for help. He further mentions “those who worship there” (v. 1), speaking of our calling to join the body of Christ’s believers who worship in the holy place of the Christian congregation. There, safe in God’s presence, we are measured, known, and kept safe within the holy precincts of the Christian church.

Revelation 11:1-2 Study Questions:

What else does verse 1 say John is to measure besides the temple and the altar?

Why was John not to “measure the court outside the temple”?

Now we approach the mystery of God Himself (vv. 5-7). Here is a glimpse of what lies in store for us in coming chapters of Revelation. The end of the Ultimate Mystery is at hand. The mystery of God is about to be revealed. In this scene the mighty angel begins by raising his right hand to heaven, which signifies that a solemn oath is being given, and important truth is about to be disclosed. The angel swears in this scene by God, the Maker of the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. The angel is swearing by the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that the long delay is at last over and the mystery of God is about to be revealed. The question which has preoccupied the thoughts and hopes of believers for centuries is about to be answered.

Every generation of Christians has expected the imminent return of the Lord Jesus. We read in Acts that the Christians of the first century expected His return in their own lifetime. Read the letters of Paul, and you can see that he expected the Lord’s return in his own lifetime. Nearly 2000 years later, the Lord has not returned. Our generation of believers like every other before it continues to expect the Lord’s return. His return could easily take place before the end of this century – yet it may not. The Lord alone knows, and at this particular moment the mystery of God remains unresolved.

In verses 8 to 11, we encounter the mystery of the scroll. In this passage, the angel gives the apostle John a book to eat and it gives him a sour stomach. The symbolism of eating the Word is a way of indicating that the truth written on the scroll becomes personal. It is not merely read but it is actually assimilated. That is what happens when we eat food, is it not? There is a lot of truth to the old saying, “You are what you eat.” The food you eat becomes you! The food we eat becomes, in a very short time, the body we wear. And John experiences in his vision the symbolic act of metabolizing and assimilating the Word of the Lord. He is taking the Word of the Lord internally, becoming personally involved in it, becoming changed by it, and ultimately allowing it to become a part of his own makeup.

We find this same imagery in the prophecy of Ezekiel 2:9 to 3:3. Then Ezekiel was sent to deliver a message to Israel in Ezekiel 3:14. Note the striking similarity between what Ezekiel experienced when he ate the scroll and what John experienced in Revelation 10. In both cases the prophecy that is received and consumed tastes sweet at first, but leaves an unpleasant sensation in the stomach.

The little scroll John receives from the angel contains the methods of God in working out His purposes on the earth. There is an element of sweetness in the plan of God, when John first bites into it. But as he assimilates the truth of God, as he becomes more and more deeply and personally involved with it, a sour sensation arises within him. This symbolizes the fact that God’s truth has a painful and unpleasant dimension to it when we really apply it to our own lives. The truth of God tastes sweet as long as it is “out there,” in the realm of promise and hope and future glory. But once the truth of God trespasses “in here,” in the realm of conviction and judgment and the exposure of our sinfulness and nakedness before God, it becomes a sour and unpleasant experience.

God’s truth has that effect on us. It had that effect on John. When he ate the scroll, it was sweet in his mouth, but turned his stomach sour. But afterwards John was given a new assignment. “Then I was told,” he relates in verse 11, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.’” There is an instructive principle here: After you have personally entered into the painful yet cleansing experience of God’s judgment in your life, you are then prepared to speak to someone else about the program of God. John has been given the privilege of ministering again to nations, peoples, languages, and kings. This is a new ministry, and it is described for us in Revelation 11 through 14.

John is qualified to reveal to us the judgments of God because he himself has allowed God to enter into his own soul and search it with the light of truth. Have you and I made the same commitment before God? Have we exposed our inner secrets to the light of God’s Word, His truth, and His judgment? The beauty of God that rests upon us as we seek to win the lost for Him is the beauty of a life that has been opened, searched, cleansed, and made new by the transforming truth of God. When He has tried us, then we are prepared to go out into the world, armed with the convicting Word of His gospel, ready to impact other lives for God.

Revelation 10:5-11 Study Questions:

What is “God’s mystery” that will be fulfilled in the days when the seventh trumpet is sounded?

The Lamb has removed the seals; now the scroll can be read. And John is to be the one to do it. This, it seems, is the reason why he was invited into the heavenly throne room. How is John invited to participate in this (vv. 8-9)?

Why is it important for us to “eat” God’s Word before we speak it to others?

How does God’s Word sometimes seem sweet to us and sometimes sour?

What happens to the sweet-tasting scroll once it reaches John’s stomach and what might this symbolize (v. 10)?

What in particular is John told that he must prophesy about (v. 11)?

How might John have felt after receiving this commission? How, specifically, is God calling you to “eat” and speak His message today?

In Revelation 8 and 9, we caught a horrifying glimpse of the cataclysmic future of our world. But beginning with Revelation 10 and continuing into part of chapter 11, we find a kind of intermission, an interlude that divides the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. As we have already observed, in each series of judgments – the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath – there is always a break between the sixth and seventh judgments.

Beginning in Revelation 10, this vision depicts the church as receiving God’s Word, holding fast to it, and bearing testimony on God’s behalf despite persecution and even martyrdom. Chapter 10 concludes with a command for John to “prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (v. 11). John’s commission to preach, coupled with chapter 11’s vision of the two persecuted witnesses, provides an explanation for the world’s judgment. According to Revelation 10, Christ’s true church is defined as having received and treasured God’s revealed Word. Just as Israel was called to be “a light for the nations” (Isa. 49:6), the church is commissioned to bear testimony to the gospel in a hostile world. The vision of the “mighty angel” and his “little scroll” supplies us with reasons to accept this calling and remain always faithful to God’s holy Word.

The first reason why Christians must maintain our witness to Christ and His Word is the sovereign glory of the Redeemer whose message it is. The vision begins with John seeing “another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun and his legs like pillars of fire” (v. 1). This is the second “mighty angel” we have encountered in Revelation, and since they both deal with the scroll of God’s will, they are obviously connected. This angel “had a little scroll open in his hand” (v. 2), and we recall the scroll earlier opened by Jesus. Since this is a “little scroll,” it is not the entirety of God’s will but the portion that God is revealing to John.

The descriptions of this awesome angel include so many indicators of deity that many scholars believe the mighty angel is Jesus Himself (v. 1). It is unlikely that this figure is Christ, however, since in Revelation He is described as the conquering Lamb and since the word angel consistently designates Christ’s heavenly servants. At the very least, though, this mighty angel is intended to represent the glory of Christ whom he serves. The mighty angel reminds us that we, too, are to adorn our witness of Christ’s gospel message with lives that are being transformed into His holy image (2 Cor. 3:18).

The details of this glorious angel further depict Christ as Israel’s Redeemer in the exodus. During Israel’s sojourn from bondage in Egypt to kingdom in the Promised Land, God’s cloud descended on the tabernacle, Moses’ face shone with God’s radiance when he emerged from the Lord’s presence, and the pillar of fire guided and protected the people. The rainbow symbolizes God’s covenant mercy, signifying not only glory and power but also deliverance for God’s people. In this way, the angel communicates that Christ is going to lead His people to the new and better Promised Land.

The vision of this “mighty angel” emphasizes God’s sovereignty. In Daniel 7:13-14, the Son of Man comes “with the clouds of heaven” to receive His eternal dominion from God. Now this angel represents Christ “wrapped in a cloud” (v. 1). Moreover, the gigantic angel “set His right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land” (v. 2). In the Bible, to have something under one’s feet is to exercise dominion over it. Here, Christ’s angel depicts His sovereignty over the entirety of creation, land and sea. Later in Revelation we will see Christ’s enemy, Satan, raising beasts from the land and the sea. Here, in advance of those beasts, we are reminded that Christ already has His foot planted on the domains from which they come.

Finally, Christ’s sovereignty is depicted by the angel’s great shout, “with a loud voice, like a lion roaring” (v. 3). Jesus has already been revealed as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5:5). It was because Jesus conquered as Lion and Lamb that He received the heavenly scroll, a portion of which the angel now holds out to John.

The angel’s exodus imagery reminds us that Christians are God’s holy people on a pilgrimage through this world toward heaven. Whatever else you may be – as defined by your family, job, race, or social status – if you are a Christian, you are the object of God’s eternal plan of salvation and a follower of the Sovereign Lord who redeemed you by His blood. As the pillar of cloud and fire guided and protected Israel in the desert, you are being led and protested by Christ so that you will arrive safely in the new world of the age to come. The key to following Christ, which you must do for salvation, is to receive, trust, and obey God’s Word, which is why the mighty angel came to John with the “little scroll” open in his hand,

The angel who depicts the glory of Christ as our sovereign Redeemer prompts us to treasure and uphold God’s holy Word because of the glory of the One who gives it. The book of Revelation begins by saying that Jesus has a revelation from God to give to His people, which He made “known by sending his angel to his servant John” (Rev. 1:1). This first point of the book is now vividly depicted by the angel who brings the scroll to John. His appearance reminds us that the Word of God that we read, believe, and proclaim today comes from the One who is sovereign over the entire creation and the Savior who is delivering us to heaven.

The world may call the gospel “hate speech,” but Christians must go on stating that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). How can we dare to hold fast to God’s Word before a scornful world, without capitulation or compromise? Because looking on Jesus as our Sovereign Redeemer, depicted by this “mighty angel,” we remember whose scroll it is and from whom God’s revealed Word came to us. To reject this message is to reject Jesus Himself, the only Savior, and willingly to compromise the Scriptures is to betray Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 10 begins with the appearing of the mighty Christ-angel, but its message about God’s Word is only heightened by the action that follows. John heard the angel shout with a lion’s roar, and in answer “the seven thunders sounded” (v. 3). In the Bible, thunder signifies the majesty of God in His coming (Ps. 29:3), together with power to shatter all opposition. The addition of seven thunders to the seven seals and seven trumpets, along with the seven bowls yet to come, can only speak of more judgment on the world. We were told after the sixth trumpet was blown that idolatrous mankind still would not repent and turn from false gods and from sin (Rev. 9:20-21). Therefore, the shout of the angel is answered by seven thunders foretelling more judgments that the rebel world deserves.

As John was preparing to write down what he heard from the seven thunders, he was unexpectedly stopped: “When the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down’” (V. 4). John was not to record the judgment of the seven thunders. Scholars suggest a number of reasons for this command. One suggestion is that this shows us that God has more plans for history that He has chosen to reveal to us in the Bible. Therefore, we should not be surprised when things happen that are not accounted for by Scripture.

The best explanation is the one given by the angel himself in the verses 5-7. The angel anticipates the seventh trumpet that is about to be blown and solemnly declares that Christ will immediately return to bring the final judgment and the conclusion of the age.

Revelation 10:1-4 Study Questions:

How is the mighty angel described in verses 1-3?

We’ve already seen, earlier in the book, several of the symbols mentioned in verses 1-3. We saw a cloud in 1:7, the sun in 1:16, a rainbow in 4:3 and a lion in 5:5. Look back at these passages. What clues do they give as to the significance of the angel described in 10:1?

The angel also stands with one foot on the land and one on the sea. Taken together, what do they signify?

In verses 12 to 16 we hear the sounding of the sixth trumpet by the sixth angel. John now hears a voice that comes from the horns of the golden altar. We have already seen this altar in Revelation 8 – the altar of incense on which was offered before God the prayers of the saints who were then living on the earth. In that passage an angel took fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth – and judgment followed. Here, in the terrible events of the sixth angel and the sixth trumpet, the prayers of the saints in Revelation 6 are finally answered.

Notice that God’s answer takes the form of releasing four powerful fallen angels who have been bound for centuries at the great river Euphrates. But these evil beings have not been given free reign in the earth. God’s control over them is sovereign, and His timing of this event is surgically precise. These fallen angels are released at the “very hour and day and month and year” God had long ago predetermined. No power, human or demonic, could change the timing of that event by as much as a second. Notice that these events are all linked with the Euphrates River, the ancient boundary between the East and the West. It is at this ancient and historic river that four evil beings are somehow bound at this very moment, awaiting the very hour and day and month and year that God has foreordained for their release.

The 200-million-man army described in verse 16 has been subject to various interpretations. Many Bible commentators have claimed that this army is composed entirely of soldiers taken from the vast populations of Asian nations such as China, India, Japan, and Indochina. It is certainly true that the reference to the Euphrates River suggests that a barrier has been removed so that armies from the East can cross into the West. But note the number of angels released at the Euphrates: four. Four is the number of worldwide human government. It symbolizes the four directions of the compass – north, south, east, and west. This fact strongly suggests that 200 million soldiers will come not from any one country or even any one direction, but from all directions. And they gather in one place. We find the name of that place in Revelation 16, and it is a name which has become associated with the end of the world: Armageddon.

Armageddon – the Hebrew word for the Mount of Megiddo – is a place in northern Israel, less than 20 miles southeast of the modern port city of Haifa. Revelation 9 gives us our first glimpse of the terrible forces of death and destruction that will gather in the plain of Megiddo. There the great armies of the earth will assemble from every point of the compass to fight the last and bloodiest war of all of human history.

A fascinating mystery surrounds the additional description of this gathering of armies in verses 17-19. John recounts the vividly colorful symbols and images of his vision of the final conflict. It hardly seems possible that John himself understood what he was looking at. All he could do was record his impressions of future warriors, armor, and weaponry far beyond his ability to imagine. In fact, the events are still in our own future and may be beyond our own ability to imagine as well.

Yet is seems clear that what John envisions is machinery of future military destruction translated into the military terminology of his own day. Breastplates of various colors seem to suggest armored chariots – that is, tanks, troop carriers, missile launchers, rocket batteries, artillery pieces, and aircraft of various countries bearing the identifying colors of their nations of origin. The lions’ mouths which spouted fire and smoke suggest cannons, mortars, rocket launchers, and even missiles killing great masses of people with fire, radiation, and poison gasses. The fact that one-third of the human race is destroyed in this conflict strongly suggests that weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, will be used.

Another intriguing image is that of the horses’ tails, described as being like snakes, having heads that inflict injury. These words could apply to various kinds of modern armament – helicopter gunships with rotors mounted on their long tail assemblies, or perhaps missiles which leave a snake-like trail of smoke in their wake and inflict injury with their warheads. Perhaps it is a description of weapons that are yet to be invented. Regardless of what the details of these images mean, the overall picture is clear – and frightening. This scene will become still clearer as future chapters of Revelation return to this horrific scene and fill in additional nuances and details of the total picture.

The final scene under the sixth trumpet judgment is the reaction of these events of unprecedented calamity and horror (vv. 20-21). Even after all the catastrophes and upheavals that have occurred, both natural and man-made, the human race remains unrepentant and hard-hearted. Notice that the first and foremost sin mentioned by John is that of demon worship. This one sin explains all the rest, as well as mankind’s irrational and self-destructive unwillingness to repent. These people have willingly and completely enwrapped themselves in a satanic delusion.

In studying Revelation 9, we should learn three important lessons. The first is that because of its idolatry and sin, our world is judged by God with spiritual torments and destruction. These plagues originate in the Abyss where demons dwell. There are times when Christian influence is strong and a wholesome culture may flower in secular society. But when society turns away from God and rejects His Word, God will respond by judging that idolatry with spiritual forces of evil torment. Verse 15 suggests definite, foreordained times when God unleashes conquest on the pride of secular powers. Because we are called to live differently from the world, Christians will be accused of being out of touch and out of style. But according to Revelation 9, our holy separation from the spirit of the age protects us from the judgments even now being inflicted on the world.

Second, fearful as these judgments are, Christians should have no fear of them. This passage is filled with signs of God’s complete sovereignty over these plagues and torments. The chapter begins with God’s granting the angel permission to open the Abyss (v. 1). Verse 10 shows that God restricts the extent of the locust plague. The sixth trumpet begins with a command that comes from “the four horns of the golden altar before God” (v. 13). We have previously seen that this altar is where the prayers of the martyrs and saints are offered, so that these judgments are God’s response to His people’s pleas for deliverance. Fearful as these trumpet plagues may be, they are under the complete control of our covenant-keeping God, and thus they are unable to harm us. Many believers, however, are afflicted by their sinful lives before coming to Christ. They may therefore bear scars and enter the Christian life with habits picked up from sinful influences. But what a hope they have in Jesus Christ.

Third, we find at the end of the chapter that the purpose of these judgments is to awaken sinners to their need to repent and return to the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ (vv. 20-21). There is no reason for you to follow this self-destroying example. To worship the idols of this world – money, pleasure, power, sex – is to be in service to demons and to receive the torments reserved in judgments for this world. God intends that through the misery of this life of sin, you will realize your need to be forgiven the guilt of sin and delivered from the power of sin. God offers all of these to you as a loving gift through faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Revelation 9 is well summed up by a bumper sticker that you may have seen: “No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace.” Without Jesus – without the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that He gives – there is no peace in this world of sin. But if we come to know Him in saving faith, trusting His redeeming work to set sinners free from judgment and misery, we will know peace. “Peace I leave with you,” Jesus said; “my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

Revelation 9:12-21 Study Questions:

What happens when the sixth angel blows his trumpet (vv. 13-15)?

How are the riders and their horses described (vv. 17-19)? What do the horses and riders symbolize?

What is the response of the rest of humankind who are not killed by these plagues (vv. 20-21)?

What are the idols that we are tempted to worship, and how do we become like them when we choose to serve them rather than God?

How is God calling us to repent today?