GOD OPENS THE FUTURE AND REVEALS HIS VICTORIOUS PEOPLE SINGING ON THE SEA.

Revelation 15 (New King James Version)

Revelation 15

Prelude to the Bowl Judgments

 ¹ Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
² And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark^[a]and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. ³ They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:


      “ Great and marvelous are Your works,
      Lord God Almighty!
      Just and true are Your ways,
      O King of the saints!^{[b]
       4} Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
      For You alone are holy.
      For all nations shall come and worship before You,
      For Your judgments have been manifested.”

⁵ After these things I looked, and behold,^[c] the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. ⁶ And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. ⁸ The temple 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.

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 15:2 NU-Text and M-Text omit over his mark.
2. Revelation 15:3 NU-Text and M-Text read nations.
3. Revelation 15:5 NU-Text and M-Text omit behold.                                              
   
   
   GOD OPENS THE FUTURE AND REVEALS HIS VICTORIOUS PEOPLE SINGING ON THE SEA.
   1. The certainty of their victory – they will stand and sing at the sea;
   - God shows the people the future. We are more than conquerors in Christ.
   - Verse 1 ~ seven angels and seven last plagues.
   - Verse 2 ~ another vision
   - Verse 3 ~ song of Moses like in the red sea.
   - Exodus 15 verse 8 ~ the tale of Moses crossing the red sea. Israel’s enemy is destroyed.
   - John sees the New Testament Israel. The Christian being persecuted have been saved.
   - Verse 2 ~ reflects the wrath of God.
   - We are the one standing on the sea of glass. The devil, world and sinful flesh are our 3 enemies.
   - Revelation 13 ~the beast tried to destroy us.
   - We have the name of Christ, not the mark of the beast. We have triumphant over the beast.
   
   
   2. The destruction of their enemy – they will be destroyed by plagues.
   - All nations are under God.
   - verse 5 ~ tabernacle
   - Supreme court is in heaven.
   - 7 angels with 7 bowls (Revelation 5) ~ God pours his wrath into his bowls.
   - Everybody will bow before God. In Christ, we are more than conquerors.
   
   

CHRIST JESUS COMES ON THE CLOUD OF HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GLORY TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000

 ¹ Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

² And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

³ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

⁵ And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

 
⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—

⁷ saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸ And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,

¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
¹² Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

 
¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.

¹⁵ And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

¹⁶ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

 
¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”

¹⁹ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

²⁰ And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

CHRIST JESUS COMES ON THE CLOUD OF HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GLORY TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

TEXT: Revelation 14 verse 14 to 20

1. What John is shown in this vision of judgment.

- The judgment on God and he is trembling.

- We need to focus on God’s wrath and justice.

- Revelation 14 verse 14 ~ Matthew 24 the son of man on the cloud is Jesus Christ.

- Jesus Christ will come back again. Golden crown means he is the majesty and the king of the world.

- Revelation 14 verse 14 ~ a sharp sickle is an instrument of judgment (Joel 3 verse 13)

- I Corinthians 15

- Christ is portrayed as the great judge.

- The church is longing for the great day to come. They are reassured that he will come for sure.

- Revelation 14 verse 15 to 16 ~ messenger angel

- verse 18 ~ the altar of burn incense

- Prayers will be fulfilled.

- verse 18b ~ the good seed

- verse 19 to 20 ~ Harvest refers to the wicked.

- Sodom and Gomorrah were ripen in sin. Babylon is another example.

- The world will be in judgment.

- verse 19 ~ the wicked are destroyed.

- verse 20 ~ the wicked are being trembled.

2. Why John is shown this vision of judgment.

- 3 reasons ~ [1] Those who never heard this prophesy [2] Loving but gracious and just [3] Own blood be trembled

- They do not need the doctor until they are sick.

- Christ comes to judge the living and the dead.

- Jonah warns the world.

- We need to make a firm decision.

- Remember the persecution during John’s time.

- Judgment done by man, is not as bad as judgment by God.

- verse 20 ~ Justice will prevail.

Revelation 14 verse 6 to 13

Revelation 14 verse 6 to 13

The Proclamations of Three Angels

  
⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—

⁷ saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸ And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,

¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

¹² Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

IN LIGHT OF THE COMING JUDGMENT UPON BABYLON GOD CALLS THE SAINTS TO REMAIN LOYAL TO CHRIST

1. If you drink Babylon’s wine, God will make you drink his wine too.

- Mount Zion is a holy city.

- Revelation 14 refers to a tale of two cities: Mount Zion and Babylon.

- 14 verse 8 ~ the destruction of Babylon

- Dual citizenship is not allowed. You either live in Mount Zion or Babylon, which one do you belong to?

- Babylon offers shorter lives. Saints attempt to live in Babylon.

- Angel refers to the messengers.

- God does not change. Gospel means good news.

- Fear God and give him the glory.

- Every knee will bow when Jesus returns.

- Yesterday or today?

- The time of judgment. Gospel age will close and Christ returns for judgment.

- Some people refuse to bow to God and fear him.

- Read Daniel 4 ~ my mighty power!

- Either worship the beast or die.

- Babylon represents this ungodly world.

- Look at the drunks and homosexuals for example. When they are drunk with Babylon’s wine, they believe there is no God.

- The ungodly world will be destroyed.

- The social engineers encourages abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia. They want us to drink the wine of Babylon. They become immoral like Sodom and Gomorrah! The ungodly will be punished (14 verse 10 to 11)

2. If you endure ‘hardship’ in Babylon, God will reward you with eternal rest.

- 14 verse 12 to 13

- Do not get influenced by the social engineers.

- Many Christians die as martyrs.

- Labors (verse 13) ~ means hardship they have endured.

- God knows that the two beasts makes it hard to live in Babylon.

- The second beast is the most active for us.

- We are tempted to drink Babylon’s wine. We need to resist the wine.

- Those who drink Babylon’s wine, will rest in peace on earth but not after death.

THE TWO WITNESSES

WHO ARE THE TWO WITNESSES?

Please read Zechariah 4 verse 1 to 6 and Revelation 9 verse 13 to Revelation 11:

Zechariah 4 verse 1 to 6

Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees

¹ Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 

² And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 

³ Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 

⁴ So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?”    And I said, “No, my lord.”

⁶ So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘ Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

Revelation 9 verse 13 to 21 

Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

¹⁵ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

¹⁶ Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

¹⁷ And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.

¹⁸ By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

¹⁹ For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

²⁰ But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

²¹ And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 10

The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

¹ I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 

² He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 

³ and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

⁴ Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

⁵ The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 

⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 

⁷ but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

John Eats the Little Book

 
⁸ Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

⁹ So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

¹⁰ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

¹¹ And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

¹ Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 

² But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 

³ And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 

⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 

⁶ These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed

 
⁷ When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 

⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

⁹ Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 

¹⁰ And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

 
¹¹ Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 

¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 

¹³ In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

 
¹⁵ Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,

¹⁷ saying: “ We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
      The One who is and who was and who is to come,
      Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
      

¹⁸ The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
      And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
      And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
      And those who fear Your name, small and great,
      And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS THE CHURCH TO WITNESS IN A HOSTILE WORLD.

1. The power to survive to the end.

- Read Jeremiah 46

- Revelation 11 ~ No measurement of the temple.

- The church has only the word of God left.

- Revelation 10 verse 1 refers to God.

- John 15 ~ I call you my friends! John look in the King’s plan for the future.

- Ezekiel 3 ~ eat a scroll to prophesize (Revelation 10 verse 9).

- Book of Revelation is a prophesy.

- John is the last surviving prophesy and the bible is complete.

- Revelation 11 verse 2

- Revelation 13

- Revelation 11 verse 3 ~ two witnesses?

- Revelation 11 is not a vision, John is told about them. It is a Prophetic language.

- Two witnesses are trustworthy, by the number 2.

- Matthew 18 verse 16 ~ the two witnesses

- The church is anointed with the Holy Spirit by constant flowing oil.

- Revelation 11 verse 5 to 6 ~ you will get reminded of Elijah

- Revelation 11 verse 6b ~ you will get reminded of Moses

- Two witnesses means the church is true.

- They bring the message of judgment and doom.

- Revelation 11 verse ~ refers to worldly people, the sinful people in different country.

- Gospel will continue to go out.

- Moses and Elijah ran and ran away.

- Jesus did not die until his work was finished on earth.

- The word of God is unstoppable in all ways.

- We testify in God’s spirit.

2. The Holy Spirit gives the power to revive at the end.

- Revelation 11 verse 7 to 8 ~ the prophetic word of God will be stopped.

- The church task is finished and the Gospel has ended.

- Revelations 20 ~ Satan is released from the bottomless pit!

- Matthew 24 ~ Jesus speaks of the End Times. The world hates God and the Gospel warns of Christ.

- Believing in the Holy Spirit is sufficient for you.