Revelation consists of seven visions, each of which corresponds to its matching day of creation in Genesis. In other words, Vision One corresponds to the first day of creation, and so on for all seven visions and days. Each vision also consists of seven parts, and the seventh part of each vision acts as a continuum, or springboard, to the next vision. This method of using creation as a vehicle for the judgment of God effectively ties the beginning to the end.

There are several guidelines which will help bring clarity and understanding to Revelations.  First, to interpret it literally is to miss the meaning, since Revelation is a vision, filled with symbolism, similes, metaphor, figures of speech, and word pictures.  Second, most of the action is occurring simultaneously, although it is necessarily being reported sequentially.  Third, the author often used a prolepsis to jump ahead and report on things out of sequence.  To understand the chronological order of events in Revelation, it is vital to discern John’s use of the prolepsis.

The nature of a prolepsis is to describe events out of sequential order.  John did not always relate things in a chronological manner, but skipped around, sometimes going too far forward, and then returning to the beginning of events. We must be careful—the action described by a prolepsis is not actually taking place when John tells about it. 

Prologue (1:1 – 1:9)

1:1       The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

God gave a revelation, or apocalypse, to Jesus Christ. This revelation was not about Jesus Christ, but about something which was given to him.  Jesus is not the thing, or person, being revealed.  This revelation was also given in a specific order. God spoke to Jesus, Jesus spoke to his angel, the angel spoke to John, and John wrote to the church.

This column will be used to identify prolepses, timing, sequence, and other logistical issues to help readers understand the flow of the book.

1:2       who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

John testified, or witnessed, to three things: the word of God, the testimony of Jesus, and all the things he saw. In a Jewish court, anything was assumed to be true if affirmed by two or three witnesses.

1:3       Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

First, there is a blessing given to those who read this letter.  Second, there is a blessing on those who hear.  Third, there is a blessing on those who keep those things which are written.  We may deduce that by hearing and keeping the word told to them, believers themselves become a revelation of the prophecy to unbelievers.

1:4       John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne;

The number seven indicates a sense of perfection and completeness; it is a central theme in the outline of this letter. There are seven visions, and seven parts to each vision.  These seven letters to seven churches represent the totality of all churches.  The one "who was" refers to the manifestation of God as Jehovah in the Old Testament. The manifestation of God "who is to come" will be Jesus, the messiah.

1:5       and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

This refers to attributes of Jesus, the Christ, the faithful witness. His life on earth as a man, his birth, his ministry, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension to God, were all done to witness to the love of God for humanity.  Jesus was the first of all humanity to receive a glorified body.  When he returns at the beginning of the next age, Jesus will rule over all the kings of the earth. 

Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

The latter part of verse 1:5 and all of verse 1:6 contain a doxology in which John listed three things men should be thankful for. The first three things mentioned were about the characteristics and power of Jesus, the Christ; the next three were about his ministry to mankind. Love for us was the motive for all Jesus did.  All mankind was washed, or cleansed, of all their sins by the death of Jesus.

1:6       and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen.

We are our own priests. Every person has been given a portion of holy spirit which is the anointing to the priesthood.  We do not need a priesthood to stand between us and God as in the Old Testament days.   Jesus is our high priest.

1:7       Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.  Even so, Amen.

No one will miss the return of Jesus, the Messiah!  Every person who ever committed a sin that needed forgiveness is to blame for “piercing him.” Therefore, all are guilty, not just the Jews!  But only Israel will feel sorrow for their part in the crucifixion of the one they now recognize as their messiah.  The house of David will repent of its part in the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ.

1:8       I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

By adding the words “the almighty,” that made it definite that this refers to The God. The same phrase, without that modifying phrase, were used in verse 22:13 to refer to Jesus.

1:9       I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

All three of these things belong to Jesus Christ. It is his tribulation; it is his kingdom; it is his patience, or endurance.  John was experiencing the same troubles as others who had testified about the word of God, and had given testimony that Jesus was the christ.

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Vision One (1:10 – 3:22)

1:10     I was in the spirit on the Lord=s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

This "in spirit" state enabled John to see visions of things that God wanted him to see, and which he then shared with other believers.  The word heard may mean to actually hear something audible with the ears, or to hear only in the mind.  It is not clear which is meant here.

1:11     saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and last: and, What thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

This is a repetition from an earlier verse where it referred to The God. Here, though, it refers to Jesus, the Christ, not to The God.  First and last refers to the two Adams.  The seven assemblies represent the complete church age, from the beginning until the return of the messiah.  The seven assemblies named represent the completeness, or fulfillment, of the time of the assemblies in the plan of God.

1:12     And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.  And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Golden indicates that these candlesticks were precious to God.  These seven candlesticks represent the seven assemblies, which were to be bearers of the light.

1:13     and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Up until this time no apostle had ever described what our body, or the body of Jesus, the Christ, would be like.  He wore a garment reaching to the feet, and wrapped about the chest with a golden girdle. The girdle was a kind of sash for gathering in long, flowing garments.

1:14     His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

John was describing the body of the risen Jesus.  White indicates purity and righteousness.  White head and white hair indicates purity of thought.  Eyes are the perceptive organs of the body which send symbols to the brain for translation into knowledge.  Flame of fire indicates righteous judgment.

1:15     and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Since fire indicates cleansing, if his feet glowed as if in a furnace, this would indicate a cleansed walk. His path would be one of righteousness, with nothing to be criticized.  Water is usually associated with large crowds of people.  Whether like that of a trumpet, as described earlier, or as the roar of a multitude of voices, the voice was loud enough to draw attention to what was being said.

1:16     And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

The right hand indicates power. Being held in the right hand means that these seven stars are under the powerful guidance of the one who is the guardian and light of the assemblies.  The two-edged sword means that the word is constantly going forth from the mouth of Jesus to the angels of the churches.  The great light going forth from his countenance was the light to be reflected by the seven candlesticks.

 The first part of verse 1:20 refers back to verse 1:16.

1:17     And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.  And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

This was a picture of Jesus, the Christ, when he returns.  The right hand indicates power, and it was the power of God flowing out through Jesus which brought comfort to John.

1:18     I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus stated the fact of his resurrection from among the dead ones, and also his ascension to the right hand of God. Even though he was alive, and then died, he said that he is alive again.  Jesus stated that he could open hell and death because he has the key. Death will yield to the shout of an archangel (the shout is the key) and the graves (hades) will be opened.

1:19     Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

John was to write about the things which apply both to this age of grace and to the next age, the kingdom of God.

1:20     the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

These seven angels are the seven elders of the seven churches.  The candlesticks, the seven churches, reflect most of the light, which they get from the one who is walking among them—Jesus, the Christ. He is the real light reflecting the glory and truth of God in all its splendor. This is the light which the candlesticks reflect.

2:1       Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

This refers to his guardianship and power over the stars, or elders, and his headship of the seven lampstands, or churches.

2:2       I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:

Labor means intense labor combined with hardships.  Patience means steadfastness, and constancy.  Evil means malignity, malice, ill-will, vicious disposition, a desire to injure.

2:3       and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name=s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

They were proud of the name of Jesus, the Christ. They labored with patience to uphold the honor of Jesus and all he had accomplished. They did not wish to bring shame upon him, for his name’s sake.

2:4       Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Their love was great—for awhile. The works pleasing to God must be predicated upon the first love. Those seeking to serve God sometimes forget this first principle of pleasing service, and works become the motivation in their lives instead of love. God is warning us not to leave our first love.

2:5       Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent.

Periodically, we should pause and reflect upon whether or not we are walking in total obedience to God.  If their works are not based upon love of God, their candlestick will be removed, which means that the church would no longer reflect the truth of God to those around them.

2:6       But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

According to tradition, some of their practices included unrestrained indulgences, communal wives, and not distinguishing between ordinary meats and those offered to idols.  Some believe that this was a reference to the notion of a priestly order, which lead to dividing the church into priests, or clergy, and laity.

2:7       He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

This means that the person must be continually overcoming in their life.  When Jesus died on the cross, or tree, that cross became a symbol of the tree of life to believers.  Access to the tree of life is determined by proper works, based upon proper faith and love of God.  Even though the cross became a tree of life for everyone when Jesus died upon it, what he purchased and bestowed upon every person can be wasted.

2:8       And unto the angel of the church of Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Please refer back to the comments on verse 1:11 and verse 1:18.

2:9       I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of satan.

Those in the church who endure tribulation and poverty are rich in faith; they will inherit the kingdom of God at the return of the christ.  Because only recognized religions were respected by the Romans, people claimed to be Jews to avoid persecution. At the beginning of this age, the early church was accepted as a new branch of Judaism. Later, the Jews no longer considered it to be part of the Jewish faith. Since the Roman government had granted Jews the right to peaceful existence, denying that believers were part of Judaism meant the church was operating outside the Roman law, and subject to persecution.  Those opposing God are sometimes called satan, sometimes the beast, sometimes the antichrist, and sometimes the serpent. None of these terms should be taken literally —they all apply to some form of opposition to God.

2:10     Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This warning is different because it did not convey a sense of repentance needed, but an early warning of trials which were about to occur.  The devil is not a person, but a personification, a noun used to indicate anyone who opposes the will of God in some specific cause.  Those who witnessed for God were being persecuted by others.  Crown means the wreath which was given to winners of games or other endeavors. Here, it symbolizes those who were "winners," so to speak, of eternal life. In other words, they did not waste what God had given them by grace.

2:11     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

At the judgment seat of Christ, a person’s works will be judged to determine whether or not that person will be allowed to enter the next age in a place of blessing or a place of judgment and discipline, referred to in other scriptures as "outer darkness."  Many people mistakenly confuse outer darkness with hell. Outer darkness is simply any place outside the kingdom of God. This is the second death.

2:12     And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

This indicates the word which guides the churches.

2:13     I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where satan=s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where satan dwelleth.

Those who opposed God and his christ were attempting to impose their rule over the small group of believers. However, such attempts will ultimately fail as long as believers remain faithful.  They absolutely did not deny my faith. Why my faith? Because faith is a gift to every person. It never arises because of any person’s activity. It is a gift from God, through Jesus Christ, and attested to by holy spirit. The holy spirit acknowledges Jesus and all his deeds accomplished for the salvation of mankind. All of this comprises what is here called "my faith."

2:14     But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The church has often tolerated those who hold to false doctrines.  The early church was expected to distinguish between right and wrong doctrine.  The teachings of Balaam were those of the earth goddess religion. Sex was not limited to marriage, but practiced with temple prostitutes. They also ate food sacrificed to idols.  Fornication means to prostitute your body to the lust of another.

2:15     So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

Review the comments for verse 2:6. No matter what the false doctrine is, the result is the same. People who follow after false doctrines leave the straight way, and become apostate, useless to God.

2:16     Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Fight means not only to fight, but to make war. Earlier, he said he hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes; now he says he will make war against them.  The two-edged sword out of the lord’s mouth shows that it is his word which sets the real judgment and executes that judgment.

2:17     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Jesus said he was the real manna from heaven, and now he has returned there. Therefore, he is the hidden manna which the overcomers will eat. Simply put, Jesus is still the manna, or spiritual food, for believers.  Jurors gave a white stone to the person they acquitted of a crime. A white stone was also given as an admittance ticket to royal benefits.  The new name is generally assumed to be that of the person bearing the stone. However, it may also be the new name of the one who gives the authority indicated by the stone.

2:18     And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

Whenever the term "the son of the God" is used, it always means messiah, or king of kings.  "Feet like fine brass" could represent the earthly walk of Jesus.

2:19     I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Charity means love based upon the will, enabled by God, and wishing the best for everyone, including enemies.  Service refers to those who promote the welfare of the church, at least by helping the poor and suffering.  Faith refers more to fidelity than believing.  Patience, or endurance, indicates they were steadfast and constant in their faith and love.  Works are those acts of service motivated by their love of God.

2:20     Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Jezebel was a follower—probably a priestess—of the earth-goddess religion which was still prevalent in John’s day.

2:21     And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Rather than repentance, the false teachings continued. Many people were ignorant about the god to whom they now claimed allegiance, and they knowingly or unknowingly brought over certain elements from their former idol worship which were unfitted for the worship of God.

2:22     Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Adultery means unlawful intercourse with another’s wife. The Hebrew word also meant, "those who at a woman’s solicitation are drawn away to idolatry, to the eating of things sacrificed to idols."  Tribulation means tightly compressed, in dire straits. 

2:23     And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

This phrase is a Hebrew expression used to express emphasis. It is similar to the English expression, "I will kill you dead!"  Her children would be anyone who followed her false teachings.  Reins means kidneys, or loins, which people thought were the seat of feelings or emotions.

2:24     But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of satan, as they speak; I will put upon you non other burden.

While some had been deceived and had followed the teachings of Jezebel, others had not done so.  God was saying simply that nothing more would be expected but to remain steadfast in the faith until the end. This should be a great comfort to those who think they must be constantly "doing something" for God.

2:25     But after that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Remain steadfast and faithful.

2:26     And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Power means authority. The overcomer will have great authority over the nations, or Gentiles.   As far as God is concerned, there is no such thing as Jew or Gentile. He broke down the middle wall of partition, did away with the enmity, made the two into one, and reconciled them both to himself through the sacrifice of his son.  Any Gentile of this age who believes that Jesus is the christ will be considered to be an Israelite, and will come under the covenant God gave Abraham. Those who do not believe, even if they are Jews ethnically, will be considered to be a Gentile, or an unbeliever, in the next age.

2:27     and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

The overcomers will rule over these unbelievers in a very strict manner.

2:28     And I will give him the morning star.

The "morning star," is considered to be the brightest star in the heavens. The word star indicates someone who is outstanding in what they do. This star signifies someone outstanding in spiritual matters.

2:29     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

Pay attention, understand, and heed my words..

3:1       And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know they works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

This refers to his command of the holy spirit and the seven elders.  For other comments, please refer back to the comments on verse 1:4 and the comments for verse 1:20.

3:2       Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

The danger was that unless these works were strengthened, even those few correct things would die. If that happened, the church would no longer have any reason for existence.  Perfect, or complete, works are those which receive the approval of Jesus, the head of the body of christ. Works will be counted as righteousness, or perfect, to the person doing them if those works are based on faith and love of God.

3:3       Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.  If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Some heard as this was read to them; others read it for themselves. Either way, they were to keep what they received and heard, which was the instruction back in verse 1:3.  Keep means to have it as a personal possession, and to guard it against being polluted. They were also admonished to hold fast and repent. In other words, they were to change their ways, and strengthen their remaining good works.  However Jesus will come,  to the watchful group, his coming is expected; to the others, it is a surprise.

3:4       Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Each set of trials that the overcomers have to endure qualifies each judgment made that they are overcomers. Walking in white means that their works have been judged as righteous.

3:5       He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name, and before his angels.

White garments refers to the righteousness of the saints.; or, it can also refer to the glorified body of the overcomers, which will be like the glorified body of Jesus. Jesus reconciled all men to God at the cross. Therefore, all are saved when they enter the world (their names are in the book of life). What people do with their salvation, whether they believe in Jesus or not, whether they obey God and serve him through love—all this will determine whether or not they keep their salvation (keeping their names in the book), or have their names blotted out of the book.

3:6       He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

Pay attention, understand, and heed my words..

3:7       And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Holy means separation. Jesus was completely separated to God.  He was without sin while living on earth and therefore separate. He was resurrected and ascended to the Father, and thereby departed completely from us sinners who were left.  Jesus was completely true to his calling to reveal the Father to men.  Jesus will be given the key of David, which signifies his power to rule.

3:8       I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Jesus, the head of the church, recognizes they still have a ministry, albeit a diminished one. Strength refers to the power of God directed to people through holy spirit.  Deny means to renounce something, or forsake it, or show an estrangement from a thing or person.

3:9       Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

When a person approaches someone who has power over them, proskuneo, worship, indicates the form of the body rather than the attitude of the heart.  Those who lied about being Jews, to avoid persecution, probably thought those who did not lie were foolish, that a little lie did not matter.  But it matters to God, who says he will deal with the liars so they will know that "God loved the overcomers" who were persecuted.

3:10     Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon  the earth.

Many consider this a promise that all the believers will be raptured out of the great tribulation. However, believers will most likely be here on earth, but under the loving care of God.  When God’s last judgment—the flood—came upon the earth, Noah and his family were saved from drowning. However, they went through the flood in the ark, under God’s protection. The same will probably be true for believers during the tribulation period.  This test, or trial, will be done to sift the wheat from the chaff, or the believers from the unbelievers.  If people remain faithful through persecution, their faith is well grounded upon the knowledge of God’s grace and truth.

3:11     Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Quickly is not a description of how soon he will return, but describes the method of his return. When he does return, it will not be a long, drawn out process; he will come quickly. Therefore, we must constantly be on the alert for his coming. When the signs begin to multiply, once he starts his return, he will come quickly.

3:12     Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

What is the significance of writing these names upon the overcomer? Earlier, the new name Lord was written on a stone which entitled the person holding it to enter royal functions. Now, after the overcomers have been allowed to enter the holy place and the holy of holies, they will no longer need the stone for entrance. They will be admitted to, and will remain in, the presence of God because the new name of God, the name of New Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus, the Christ, will all be written on them.

3:13     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

Pay attention, understand, and heed my words..

3:14     And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Jesus was judged faithful because he did exactly what God told him to do. He was true because he spoke nothing or did nothing except what God told him. Whatever he did revealed the Father; whatever he spoke was true of the Father. Therefore, he was the only one faithful and true witness of God.  Jehovah was the first creation of God, and he became the man, Jesus.

3:15     I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Some works were performed in a perfunctory manner. The people doing them were apathetic, and did not seem to care whether they were accomplished or not.

3:16     So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

This attitude was anathema to God. He expressed disdain, and told them it made him want to vomit!

3:17     Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Many worldly churches believe that wealth is a symbol of God’s blessing—they do not even realize they are spiritually bankrupt.  Miserable means in need of being pitied.  They were poor spiritually, not materially.  They were mentally blind. They could not understand spiritual things because they habitually obscured the truth by raising a smoke screen.  Naked means they were openly exposed in a spiritual sense.

3:18     I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.

This means to return to the true faith again so they may be rich spiritually. They will then have white garments—the clothing of righteousness—and the shame of their nakedness would not be manifest.  Buy eye-salve that they might see means to open their eyes to what has happened to them.

3:19     As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Rebuke means to correct misguided people  Even with all their faults, the Lord still considers these people part of his close family.   Chasten refers to training or educating . Essentially, this means to instruct in God’s ways. He will instruct and guide us when we make a wrong turn, or lose our way.

3:20     Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Read in context, Jesus is speaking of the church door, not the door of someone’s heart.  In this age, the Lord is knocking at the doors of the churches. But at the end of this age, those who refused to answer the knock will be knocking at the Lord’s door—the entrance into the kingdom of God—and they will not be heard. 

3:21     To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

The throne is symbolic of the power which will be granted to the overcomers.  They will receive power from Jesus just as he received power from the Father.

3:22     He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

Pay attention, understand, and heed my words.

Vision Two (4:1 – 8:1)

4:1       After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Just a reminder, as far as we know heaven does not have any doors. What John saw was not reality, but a representation of something.  Heaven is a metaphor for the place where God supposedly dwells.  In the vision, God simply transferred John mentally into this new dimension called heaven. God did this to enlighten him about what he was going to bring forth on the earth in his day of wrath, or judgment.

4:2       And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

The throne in heaven indicated the seat of power.  Sitting indicates repose and absolute power, and shows that God’s power may be used at his discretion, without great exertion on his part.

4:3       And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like an emerald.

Jasper and sardine are precious gemstones.  The rainbow probably refers to glory of the Lord, just as did the shekinah cloud.

4:4       and round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

God was sitting upon a throne surrounded with a rainbow which looked like precious gems. It was this throne which was surrounded by 24 other seats, although the word used is actually the same word that was translated as the  throne upon which God sat.  These elders were not identified, but they are righteous, since white raiment indicates righteousness.  The gold crowns symbolizes their great spiritual worth.

4:5       And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

Lightning symbolizes the presence of God.  Thunder symbolizes the voice of God.  The number seven denotes completeness or fulfillment. Thus, the seven spirits indicated the holy spirit, represented here as seven lamps of fire.  Fire signifies cleansing. In this case, it is the absolute judgment of God upon those who have resisted, and are still resisting, his purposes for his creation.

4:6       And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

The sea of glass indicates the remoteness, or separation, of God from his creation.  Four beasts, better translated as living creatures, represent the totality of the world, or earth.  The eyes before and behind indicate the fullness of knowledge.

4:7       And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

The lion represents the wild animals of nature. The calf represents all the domesticated animals.  Man represents all humanity.  The eagle  represents all the birds. The number four indicates the totality of all the living creatures of nature.

4:8       And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The four living creatures have the duty, or perhaps the privilege, of continually worshiping God, who is eternal in the true sense of the word. He was, and is, and is to come.

4:9       And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

The living creatures are there day and night, but they are speaking only occasionally. Giving glory means recognizing, and repeating to God, how magnificent, excellent, dignified, and pre-eminent he is.  Giving honour means recognizing the great worth of God and his priceless gifts to humanity and all creation.  Thanksgiving is the recognition of his grace with heartfelt thanks.

4:10     the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Nature, the four living creatures, lead the 24 elders, representing humanity, in worshiping God.  Crowns refers to the wreaths given to winners of contests.  Golden crowns, signifying great worth, indicate that the ones receiving these crowns had run a difficult race, and they had won.

4:11     Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

All the things people erroneously seek after in this life actually belong to The God, and he did not want anyone to misunderstand that all the glory, and the honor, and the power belong to him.  It was God who created everything, so that everything he created should give him the glory, the honor, and the power.

5:1       And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

This was not a large scroll, but a small one.  The throne indicates royalty and power, and the book refers to God’s purposes which have not been fully revealed before.  One seal was usually sufficient to seal a document.  Seven indicates the completeness, fullness of secrecy, and deep obscurity of the information contained in this small scroll.

5:2       And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

This scroll of God could be opened only by someone whose deeds and worth are equal to the weight of God’s words contained in the scroll.

5:3       And no man in heaven, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

No one, living or dead, was worthy to open the book; no one could be found to even look at it, indicating that no one will ever be justified by works. Justification is by the grace of God, and we can claim nothing from him no matter how much work we have done.

5:4       And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

Here was a book containing God’s secret intent for mankind, and as far as John knew it had to remain closed. Little wonder that he wept.  To be worthy was to have enough power of the holy spirit to open the book and read it.

5:5       And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

The lion illustrated the great strength needed to open the book.  Jesus, as the lion of Judah, the root of David, shall open the book, and loose the seven seals.  He was worthy because he had lived without sin under the guidance of holy spirit, which he had without measure, and his power was not diminished, or wasted, by sin in his life. He was wholly committed to the service of God.

5:6       And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The four living creatures symbolize nature. The 24 elders represent mankind. The lamb being in their midst represents a close association of some kind.  Previously, Jesus was referred to as a lion, referring to his power to bring retribution and judgment upon the people who oppose God’s purposes.  It is as the lamb that he was killed for our salvation.  When called a lamb, it indicates that Jesus was bringing salvation, not judgment, to the world. It is as the lamb that he stands amidst the living creatures and the elders who represent redeemed mankind and nature.  Horns indicate power, and seven means perfection, completeness, or totality.  The seven eyes and seven spirits indicate that Jesus has been given the fullness of the holy spirit, with full knowledge of the things he must deal with. The seven eyes are the holy spirit which was sent into all the earth. Nothing is hidden from the christ because the holy spirit reveals everything to him.

5:7       And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.

Jesus took the book out of God’s hand.

5:8       And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

To fall down means to recognize the lamb’s status as lord, or master.  The saints are the separated ones. Judicially, everyone is now a saint. By the death of Jesus, the Christ, every person was separated to God and baptized into one body by the gift of holy spirit. Experientially, however, only those who are committed to God are hagioi, or separated ones.

5:9       And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

They have been singing the holiness of God, but now they sing a new song.  It is not a song that has just come into existence, but an old song of praise that has been changed, improved, and added to. It is a new song in terms of its quality.  Being slain made him worthy to open the scroll because he was also the first-born from the dead, and because his life was lived without sin.  This also qualified him to be the messiah, or christ.  His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to God were also an affirmation of another part of the new song they sing.   We belong to God because we were purchased by the blood of Jesus, his son.  God will create another group of people of every tongue, and every tribe, and every people (ethnic group), and every nation.

5:10     and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The message of the "new song" is that the saints will be made a nation of priests to God.  These are the overcomers, who will have a body like that of Jesus. They will no longer be influenced by the pull of human nature, or by the world and its religions. They will be totally committed to the cause of God.

5:11     And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

These angels are the spirits of the dead, clothed in interim bodies, who are awaiting the return of Jesus.  The white raiment of righteousness, which clothes our spirits at death, is a gift of grace brought about by the life and death of Jesus. Every person is granted this status until the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. After that, some will enter into the next age in a place of blessing and others will enter into outer darkness. 

5:12     saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

The lamb is the worthy one here, not the lion. The focus is on salvation, not judgment.  Jesus is not just receiving—he has the authority and power to take all of these things. Wisdom, a proper application and use of knowledge; strength which is reserve power; honor, and glory, and blessing from all nature and humanity.

5:13     And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Creature includes all of nature and mankind. There is a distinction between him that sits upon the throne, and the lamb. The lamb, Jesus, does not sit upon the throne in heaven, only The God sits there.

5:14     And the four beasts said, Amen.  And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever.

The four living creatures are saying they believe that the lamb is really worthy of the song that the whole universe had just finished singing.  The elders worship God, not the lamb!  God is the one John refers to as living into the ages of ages, not Jesus, the Christ.

6:1       And I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

All seven seals were most likely opened all at one time, but John described them one at a time, in sequence.

6:2       And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The great and terrible day of the lord occurs before Jesus returns to rule and reign. Therefore, this rider must be somebody else.  The bow was an instrument of war.  This person on the white horse was chosen to absolutely assure a victory, to conquer or overcome certain people.  The first overcoming was done in order that he might overcome others.

6:3       And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

All seven seals were most likely opened all at one time, but John described them one at a time, in sequence.  The four living creatures are taking turns calling John to come take a look at what was happening.

6:4       And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

This person on the red horse, representing war, was given the power to take peace from the entire earth.  This war includes every kingdom and class of people existing on earth.  How better to conquer the world than to turn people against one another and thus destroy themselves? A great sword indicates massive destruction and death. 

6:5       And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see.  And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

As a result of war, a black horse, famine, also follows.  The balance signified that food would be in short supply and would be weighed, or rationed out.

6:6       And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

A measure would be enough to support a person of moderate appetite for one day.  This measure would cost the equivalent of a full day’s wages, just to keep one person fed.  The oil and wine will not be rationed, but only the wealthy will be able to afford them.  The poor will receive none of the oil and wine as they will not have the resources to purchase them.

6:7       And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

All seven seals were most likely opened all at one time, but John described them one at a time, in sequence.  The four living creatures are taking turns calling John to come take a look at what was happening.

6:8       And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him.  And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Please keep in mind, there are really no horses, and there is no one actually sitting on any horse. These are symbols to help John understand God’s purposes for the earth in the last days, including the return of Jesus.  This horse was probably the greenish color of a deathly sickness, indicating the deaths from both war and disease.  Over is a spatial term, not a mathematical one, and refers to the area of the killing, not the number of people killed.  The riders will be allowed to take over one-fourth of the earth’s area, and to kill over, or within, that area.  Beasts describes mean, brutal people who make up the army which will be waging war over one-fourth of the earth.

6:9       And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

John saw the altar of burnt sacrifice in the heavenly tabernacle of God.  The blood of the sacrifices was poured out at the bottom, or under, the altar.  This represents the people who were slain because of their testimony for God, pictured as though they were sacrifices to God upon his altar.

6:10     and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

They wanted God to judge, and then avenge, or punish, the ones who killed them.

6:11     And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The white robes here indicate royal stature; the overcomers will be both priests and kings.  They had to wait until others were also killed.

6:12     And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Earthquakes are often used in the scriptures to symbolize the shaking of man’s systems.  The sun, the light of God, has been obscured by the blackness of lies, deceit, and utter depravity of those opposing God.  Therefore, the moon will not reflect the light of God, but the true purpose of the rider on the white horse, which is bloodshed.

6:13     and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a might wind.

The stars, the leaders of the churches, have fallen. They no longer reflect the light of God, but are cooperating with the rider of the white horse. Therefore, they are no longer useful to God.  Figs that fall too soon are good for nothing. Even so, the stars are shaken loose. Just as figs can be destroyed when shaken by a great wind, so the stars are fallen from heaven in the shaking, or earthquake.

6:14     And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The stars were to reflect God’s glory to men. They were no longer fulfilling that mission.  It does not say that God rolled up the heaven; it is men who no longer discern it as the glory of The God. Like a scroll when it is rolled up, nothing of its meaning can be discerned in that condition.  The mountains refer to the high power of great governments, and the hills represent the lesser powers.

6:15     And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

These are the influential people who make up the mountains. Throughout the Bible, men fled to the mountains in times of war and great distress. Here, all men—rich, powerful, strong, kings, bondmen, poor—are reacting in fear.

Prolepsis.  John skipped right over the return of the Christ, which must occur before the great wrath, and described something which will occur later.

Verses 6:15-17 contain a proleptic statement which fits in with verse 15:8.  When the seven plagues begin, then the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, and everyone else will hide and cry for the mountains and rocks to fall on them to hide them from the wrath of God.

6:16     and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Their fear is so great that they want the rocks to fall immediately; they want to be hidden immediately.  Face indicates the presence of God.  The wrath people fear is a sustained anger which will continue until its purpose is fulfilled. This is the wrath of the lamb who is now showing the attributes of a lion.

6:17     for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

This wrath will surpass anything which the world has ever seen. And this wrath will endure until it brings about God’s rule over the entire earth.

As Chapter 6 ended, events were almost at the brink of the coming of Jesus...but not quite yet.

7:1       And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

The four corners symbolize the four cardinal directions of the compass, which would include the entire planet. The angels are messengers who are holding the holy spirit of God to prevent it from blowing, or acting, upon those on the earth. Trees are often used as symbols of strong men, and seas represent the mass of people. With the removal of the holy spirit, there will no longer be anything to restrict the evil of men.

7:2     And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

The seal of the living God is holy spirit.  The four angels on the four corners of the earth were not allowing the holy spirit to blow upon men, earth, or sea, and the ascending angel was returning it to God.

7:3       saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

The four angels were restricted from injuring the earth, sea, and trees until God’s servants were sealed.  The seal on their foreheads probably means that these people are given the power of holy spirit to be wholly, mentally dedicated to God.  They received enough of holy spirit as a seal to perform the duties for which they were called.

7:4       And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

The number 144,000 is not meant literally, nor is it meant to limit the number of people sealed.  This number indicates all of the overcomers, those who will rule and reign with the lord upon his return to earth.  Israel includes both Jews and Gentiles, since both were reconciled to God.  In the common vernacular of today, we say that believers become Christians; but according to Paul, believers become Israelites.

7:5       Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Rueben were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

The scriptures offer no reason for why Dan was omitted from being marked as one of God’s servants.  Again, the numbers are not to be taken literally.  They simply indicate that a great multitude of people will be sealed.

7:6       Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

See the commentary for verse 7:5.

7:7       Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

See the commentary for verse 7:5.

7:8       Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand.  of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand.  of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

See the commentary for verse 7:5.

7:9       After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands;

This is a figure of speech indicating that there were a huge number of people.  Nation means both Jews and Gentiles.  John showed emphatically that the people in this great multitude included all nations and peoples and languages of the earth.  Standing before the throne signifies judgment.  These people have passed God’s judgment as they wore white robes, indicating righteousness.

7:10     and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

The salvation, or the 1,000 year reign, is the ultimate revelation to mankind that God has honored his commitment to the fathers. This is his righteousness, or the salvation.  The lamb was the one God used to fulfill the law; he was the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; he reconciled the world to God. Therefore, the lamb is honored along with God. But, only God is sitting on the throne, not Jesus. 

7:11     And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God,

The multitude of people is now referred to as angels.  The elders and the four living creatures are the inner circle of those in the service of God. The angels, or people, are further away yet still in the vicinity of God’s throne. 

7:12     saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever, Amen.

The Greek language derives the words for truth, faith, and righteousness from amen. When people say amen, it should mean that they agree that what is said is true, or faithful, or righteous. Therefore, the list of things they attributed to The God are assumed to be absolutely true.

7: 13    And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

The key words in this verse are "who" and "where." 

7:14     And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.  And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These are they who came out of the tribulation, the great (one).   This is the rest of the fellow-servants killed during the great tribulation.  These people have already received the white raiment of the first group. While still upon the earth, during the great tribulation, they paid with their lives for continuing to witness for God. They washed their robes and made them white by shedding their own blood.

7:15     Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They are now being rewarded, given a place close to God to serve as his priests in the heavenly temple.  To dwell, or tabernacle, over them literally means God will spread his tent over them and protect them.

7:16     They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

God will guard and provide for them. 

7:17     For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

The lamb, the good shepherd in his earthly life, will still be doing the same in the next age, providing both the food of God and the water of life.

8:1       And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

The silence in heaven must have been because all those present were holding their breaths, wondering what was going to happen next. This book had been sealed throughout the ages, with only portions revealed to the prophets. This book provides all the final answers!  No wonder they were silent while awaiting further developments.  A half hour means it was only a short interval.

Vision Three (8:2 – 11:18)

8:2       And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

In Vision One, there were seven angels to the seven churches. Here, seven angels stand ready to carry out the will of God by blowing seven trumpets.  The number seven indicates spiritual completion, fulfillment, or totality.  The sounding of the trumpet meant that God was fighting on the side of Israel, and the blowing of the trumpets here means the same thing.

8:3       And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense. that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Tthere are now eight angels. Eight is the number for a new beginning.  This "another angel" is definitely acting as high priest.  Since the only high priest in heaven is Jesus, then this "another angel" is Jesus.  The prayers here are all those prayers for vengeance asking God to do what he had promised.

8:4       And the smoke of the incense, which came from the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel=s hand.

Smoke indicates the fire of judgment which is contained in the golden censer.  This fire, or coals, heats the incense which rises with the prayers of the saints. 

8:5       And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it unto the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The filling of the censer in this verse was for the inhabitants of the world. Because they did not recognize God, there were no prayers to act as incense. Therefore, the fire from the altar became not a blessing to them, but a judgment.  Fire in the scriptures often represents the judgment of God.  These voices, thunders, lightnings, and earthquakes will be heard and felt throughout the world as they shake all the systems of government.

8:6       And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

There are seven angels and seven trumpets, signifying completeness, or totality. These signify the different elements of the complete judgment which will fall upon the earth.

8:7       The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Hail and fire, mingled with blood, signifies a great war, as God brings his judgment upon the people of earth.  Losing one third of the trees, along with all green grass indicates a major blow to the food supply on earth.

8:8       And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

This great mountain, or army, or government, was burning with fire. It was not only burning everything in its path, but was itself being burned.  The sea represents multitudes of people. This great mountain, or powerful army, will come down upon the people who dare to defy the false christ and the anti-christ government. They will crush all opposition.  The sea turning to blood indicates that a third of the people on earth died with much bloodshed.

8:9       and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

War kills animals as well as people.  This war will have a "scorched earth" policy, and the army will destroy anything which might provide support to their opponents. In addition, this war will be fought everywhere, on the oceans as well as the land, and one-third of all shipping will be destroyed.

8:10     And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon fountains of waters;

The great star was burning like a lamp, which indicates that this great star, or person, was, or was pretending to be, a bearer of great religious light. However, he was not a revealer of God. This great star was either the false christ, or one of his servants.  This war was meant to physically conquer the people, and also to mentally conquer their minds. The false christ wanted to convert all men to the anti-God, anti-christ religion he was promoting.

8:11     and the name of the star is Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Wormwood indicates the bitter poison of false religious doctrines. It will poison a third of the rivers and streams, which were those truths sustaining a healthy belief in The God. This great star causes the spiritual death of many people with its false teaching. This star was the man on the white horse, or the false christ of the anti-christ government, who was promoting war, both physically and spiritually, upon the population of earth.

8:12     And the fourth angel sounded, and the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

The knowledge of God declared by the sun, moon, and stars will be reduced by a third. The likely result of this reduction of knowledge about God is that the people who have turned their backs on God will be further deluded by the false christ.

All of this will be a precursor to the return of Jesus, the Christ.

8:13     And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound!

These woes will happen to those who dwell on the earth.  Each remaining trumpet to be blown signifies God’s denunciation of those who dwell upon the earth. God is angry, and finally fed up with the rebellion by those he created to glorify him.  Woes indicates a deeper category of suffering than previously.

9:1       And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

The star was Wormwood, the false religious teacher who poisoned the minds of one-third of mankind against God. The key was a symbol of authority; in this case, the key was for opening the "bottomless pit," or abyss.

9:2       And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

The star Wormwood opened the bottomless pit.  A volcano, or a large furnace, produces acrid smoke which obscures the vision.  Obscuring the air with smoke makes it difficult to see the sun, which is a reference to the knowledge of God.  Therefore, this darkening of the sun and air refers to obscuring the knowledge of the true God. 

9:3       And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

These locusts are people who had no power of their own, but were given limited, specific power by a higher authority.

9:4       And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Earlier, the army of the anti-christ government used a scorched earth policy and destroyed the food supply.  God commanded this army of locusts not to use such methods (they were not to hurt the grass, nor any green thing, nor any tree).  These locusts, or people, only have the authority to injure anyone without God’s seal.

9:5       And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

They were not allowed to kill, but they were allowed to torment for five months.  Both the abyss and the smoke refer to the devilish character of these locusts, or men, which are part of the anti-christ government. 

9:6       And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Those days refers to the time of the first woe.  The sting of the "locusts" will be so painful and debilitating that men shall seek "the death," the total destruction of body, soul, and spirit.  However, these men cannot even kill themselves. Death simply is not an option.

9:7       And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

These locusts represented not the image of a horse, but the purpose of a horse.  Horses were war machines, and these locusts were also instruments of war; hence, the comparison.   The faces were similar to, or equal to, the faces of men. In other words, men were at the head of these awesome war machines.

9:8       And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

The horse-like images had hair like women’s hair.  A lion has very strong teeth, used to choke prey, and then tear it apart.  These were fearsome things.

9:9       And they had breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

These war machines were evidently armored in some manner, and quite noisy when operating.

9:10     And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Whatever they were, they were going to sting people, to disable them and make them painfully ill, but not to kill them.  God limited the power of the men running these war machines, and set a limit on how long they could operate.

9:11     And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Real locusts have no king; they go where the wind blows them, wherever food is found.  Having a king over them symbolizes that this army now despoiling mankind has leadership, organization, and purpose.  Their king is the angel of the bottomless pit, the star named Wormwood, the leader of a false religion which poisoned the minds of many people, thereby destroying them for any usefulness to God. Both the Hebrew and Greek names mean destroyer.

9:12     One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The star Wormwood fell from heaven, opened the bottomless pit, and released a living hell upon the inhabitants of the world with his warfare.

9:13     And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

The number four signifies the completeness of all four directions. Horns symbolize strength. The golden altar is the altar of incense.   The altar of incense, or the golden altar, signified the prayers of the people. When the smoke of the incense rose, it represented the prayers rising up to God.

9:14     saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates,

The phrase "bound in the great river Euphrates" limits them to the Middle East region.  If the four angels are the leaders of this army to be released, then this army consists of all the armies of the Middle East.

9:15     And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

This clearly shows that God does not act on impulse, but by divine design.  The angels, or the messengers, had been prepared long ago for this exact hour.  This is not just any hour. This is the hour, which is a specific hour designated by God long ago, definite to a day, a month, and a year. 

9:16     And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

The four angels which were loosed have turned into an army of 200,000,000 cavalrymen. 

9:17     And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

How could fire be contained as a breastplate? The answer is found in the grammar. The words used for fire, jacinth, and brimstone are adjectives, not nouns.  Therefore, the breastplates are fire-like, jacinth-like, and brimstone-like.  Both fire and brimstone are regarded in scripture as means of purification, or purging.

9:18     By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

God brought in this great army from the north to punish the errant people who opposed him.  Keep in mind that God’s judgments are not only to punish, but also to purge his people from wrong doing, that they might abide in his blessing.

9:19     For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

The power to kill one-third of the people on earth came not only from the mouths of these war horses in the form of fire, smoke and brimstone, but also from their tails.

9:20     And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

God wanted people to repent, or change their minds, about which god they would serve.  However, none repented, or changed their minds about whom or what they would worship.

9:21     neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

These are four characteristics of their life-style and religion, things they will not repent of, or change their minds about. 

10:1     And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

This "another mighty angel" was Jesus, the Christ.  "Clothed with a cloud" refers to Jesus. He ascended in a cloud, and the disciples were informed he would return in like manner.  There are two necessary conditions for a rainbow: a bright light and a cloud. This angel was clothed with a cloud, his face was described as being bright as the sun, and his feet were as pillars of fire. He brought his own brightness which could provide enough light to cause the rainbow.

10:2     and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

Jesus was the only one worthy to take the little book from the open hand of God, and break the seven seals to reveal God’s plan for the end of this age and the beginning of the next.  Having his feet on the sea and earth shows his authority over them, and indicates that his power and dominion will be without limit during the next age.

10:3     and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

The number seven means completeness, or fullness. Therefore, these seven thunders, or vocal messages from God, signify a complete revelation of things to John.

10:4     And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

Whatever the seven thunders said was only for John and was not to be shared with others.

10:5     And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted his hand to heaven,

This shows the extent of Jesus’ authority when he returns to earth.  "Lifting up his hand to heaven" indicated taking an oath. In other words, the "another mighty angel" was promising, or swearing an oath.

10:6     and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

In other words, the "another mighty angel" was promising, or swearing an oath to him that lives forever and forever. Only one is immortal from himself, and that is The God.  Therefore, the "another mighty angel" was swearing an oath to The God.  What the "another mighty angel" swore when he lifted up his hand to heaven was that there should be no more time. When Jesus returns, time as we know it (chronos, or measured time) will cease to exist. 

10:7     but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Whenever he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished.  This refers to what will happen when we get to the sounding of the seventh trumpet in verse 11:15.  Remember, that the soundings of all seven trumpets are included in the opening of the seventh seal by Jesus. The seventh seal signified completion of God’s actions in bringing about the beginning of a new age, the kingdom of God.  The "mystery of God" is the complete history of mankind. This history will be finished when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet.

10:8     And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

John is commanded to go take the book.  The word for book indicates it is a small book.

10:9     And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.  And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up= and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

To approach such an awesome person as this “another angel” must have taken a great deal of courage.  The mighty angel commanded John to take the book and eat it.  This command was not meant in a literal sense.  It meant that John was to understand what was written, to digest it with his mind and emotions, and to believe what it taught him about the future actions of God.

10:10   And I took the little book out of the angels= hand, and ate it up= and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

This means that first John would rejoice at the good news which this little book revealed, but he would be greatly distressed as he contemplated the horrors of God’s wrath to those on the earth.

10:11   And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Instead of "prophesy again before" a more accurate translation would be "prophesy again as to" or "prophesy again in regard to" many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.  John was not to prophesy "to" many peoples, and nations, and tongues, but "in regard to" what has been revealed to him in the little book about  the future of many peoples, and nations, and tongues.

11:1     And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

This reed may have been one of the large canes, which grew 12 to 20 feet in length, and was sometimes used as a surveyor’s rod.  Measure can refer to space, or to worth, or value. Here, it probably refers to space. First, John was to measure the part of the temple, naos, used by the priests, although the purpose is not clear.  Second John must measure the altar used for burnt offerings, although the reason is also not clear.  Third, John was to measure the people who worshiped in the temple. Here, the word measure would necessarily indicate the worth, or value, of those worshiping.  This measurement was to determine whether or not the priests within this space were priests of God. 

11:2     But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

This area was omitted because the rest of the temple area would be given to the Gentiles.  The 42 months refers to how long the Gentiles will control all of Jerusalem.

11:3     And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Since the word "power" does not actually appear in the Greek manuscript, this should be translated as "I shall give and they shall prophesy"  The angel will not give power, but he will give the content of their prophesy. He will be in charge of these two witnesses, and they will speak what they are told to speak.  The two prophets will be prophesying during the 42 months Jerusalem is being trod under foot.   The dark color of the sack cloth refers to the dark nature of their prophesies.

11:4     These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

It is not clear who these two olive trees are.  Whoever they are, they have been given a great ministry.

11:5     And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

They will not wait until someone hurts them, but will act against anyone who even thinks about hurting them. Just to approach them with the intent of harming them is enough to signal them to protect themselves.  Fire signifies judgment and purging.  Whether this is real fire or simply the word of God, it is destructive to their enemies. 

11:6     These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophesy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Their power is great enough to stop the rain.  The plagues may represent the action (fire from the mouth) of these two witnesses against those who oppose them. Whether literal or symbolic, they may take action against their oppressors as often as they will. 

11:7     And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

The bottomless pit symbolized people sinking into the depths of evil. The very lowest part of the bottomless pit was considered the home of the most evil people who died. This beast is such a totally evil man that there is no compassion for other people in his soul, only evil.   He was the leader of the great army of locusts, and now he brings his army against the two witnesses who are vulnerable since their mission is finished. The beast shall make war against them, and kill them.

11:8     And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

He does not bury the bodies, but displays them in the street of the city.  During this time, Jerusalem and its religion will be so far from the truth that God regards them no better than he did Sodom.

11:9     And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

This indicates some, perhaps most, but definitely not all people of the earth.  Out of all these different groups, some would see the bodies.  This was not just a few of the world’s nations, but included representatives from all of them.  Preventing burial was a heinous deed; but almost as bad was the curiosity of the crowd gathered to look at the dead, bloated bodies of the two messengers of God.

11:10   And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

The entire earth will participate in the rejoicing over the death of the two witnesses.  The victors considered this a major celebration.  The people of the earth actually felt tortured because of what the prophets said.

11:11   And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

When the two witnesses are resurrected from the dead, the people are stunned! The celebration is over, and rejoicing was replaced by paralyzing fear.

11:12   And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.  And they ascended to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

These two witnesses heard a great voice from heaven, and then they ascended in a cloud.

11:13   And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

When the two witnesses ascended, a great earthquake occurred which will leveled one-tenth of Jerusalem and killed 7,000 men.  The people clearly knew that this was God at work, and they were terrified.

11:14   The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

The second woe included the trumpet of the sixth angel which loosed the four angels, who unleashed the army of 200 million upon the earth. Then, the "another mighty angel" came and gave John the little book to eat. John was also given a reed to measure several items. Then the two olive trees, messengers of God, came and witnessed for 42 months as Jerusalem was trodden under foot by the Gentiles. After the two witnesses were killed, they were raised to life and ascended to heaven. Then a huge earthquake destroyed one-tenth of Jerusalem and killed 7,000 people.

11:15   And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The seven angels, with the seven trumpets, were a continuation of opening the seven seals which was the beginning of the third vision given to John.  All those left on the earth without a body like the resurrected Jesus will now become subject to the power of God. Nothing could be worse than having to submit themselves to the God whom they have constantly resisted.  There will be many kingdoms on earth, with kings ruling over them, but as far as God is concerned there will only be one kingdom: his. This marks the end of mankind’s history and their freedom under grace. From now on, the earth will be subject to the rule of Jesus, the Christ.

Prolepsis describing the kingdom.  However, the actual coming of Jesus is not related until verses 19:11-17.

11:16   And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God,

When the great announcement about the kingdom of God is made, it is no longer the four living creatures who represent nature that lead the worship of God.  When the next age occurs, the son of The God will be manifesting God in all his glory, and the four creatures who represent nature will not be as prominent as before.

11:17   saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

This formula, commonly believed to refer to Jesus, actually refers to The God.  The power which God had poured out upon all humanity to be used for good was contained within that portion of holy spirit given to each person. Now, that power has been taken back unto God, and in all future time this power will be God’s.

11:18   And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

It is the season for the dead to be judged.   From this time forward whatever happens on the earth will be the result of God’s wrath.  The resistance of the people to the rule and reign of God through his son will endure until the end of the 1,000 year reign. Anyone who thinks that the overcomers who reign with Jesus will just sit around and strum on their harps should read Psalm 2 carefully. The kings of this earth will not give up easily, and the reign of Jesus will be focused on bringing them into submission. 

Vision Four (11:19 – 15:4)

11:19   And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Temple indicates only the holy of holies.  Ark of testament means the ark of covenant, indicating God’s presence of God, and his faithfulness to his covenant.  Lightnings, thunderings, earthquakes, and hail indicate that God has complete control of nature. 

 Prolepsis. 

12:1     And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

This woman is the New Israel, which includes both the Jews and the Gentiles reconciled to God.  The sun, moon, and stars are ornaments for the woman.  Twelve is the number of completion, referring to everyone who is part of the New Israel.

Prolepsis: This is a reference to the New Jerusalem which has not yet come about, and will not be described until verse 21:9.

12:2     and she being with child cried,  travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

She represents the nation of Israel, which struggled with evil forces tormenting her, trying to prevent the birth of Jesus, who would become the christ of God. 

Prolepsis: John has now returned to an earlier time in the history of Israel, the birth of Jesus.

12:3     And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The woman is Israel, and the dragon is the powers arrayed against God and his Christ.  Seven is the number for completeness.  Heads indicates oversight, direction, or the power to determine and accomplish goals. This dragon, a figure of speech indicating men’s resistance to God, has complete control over the matter in progress. Ten horns indicates he has the power to accomplish his aims.

12:4     And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:  and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

The stars represent those who were killed for being faithful to God.  In this case, the dragon was Herod, who sought to destroy the new-born Jesus.  The dragon, Herod, intended to kill the child.

12:5     And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The man child is Jesus, who will rule in the next age.  He was killed, resurrected, and ascended to God.

Prolepsis: John skipped over the complete life of Jesus—his preaching, teaching, crucifixion, and resurrection—and goes directly to his ascension.

12:6     And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

There is a similarity between the fleeing of this woman and the fleeing of Israel from Egypt.  God has never allowed Israel to be totally destroyed, and he will not do so now.  Prepared shows that these events do not just happen, but they are planned by God.  In context, this 42 months time period covers the time from the birth of Jesus until his return.

12:7     And there was war in heaven:  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

This is still describing the situation of the woman and the dragon, only the characters have changed.   Michael and his angels represent Israel; the dragon represents those who oppose God, and his angels are the people who follow the leaders of the opposition.  Throughout Revelation, the dragon’s enemy is Israel, and although the characters representing Israel may vary, it is still the dragon against Israel, or the witnesses of God on this earth.

12:8     and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

The dragon and his angels were not strong enough to win the battle.  They were utterly defeated, and cast out of heaven, which means they no longer had any access to God.

12:9     And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:  he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The devil or satan or the dragon (actually the personified sins of mankind), was done away with by the sacrifice of Jesus.  There was now nothing in heaven to accuse men before God.  The only power the accumulated sins now had was to deceive those on the earth.

12:10   And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:  for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

salvation, or victory, refers to the time when Jesus begins his rule over this earth to administer the affairs of men in conformity with the law of God. That time will be called the kingdom of God, and the power of his christ.  The sacrifice of Jesus cleared the way so anyone could approach God.  All the sins of mankind, which had been standing between God and men, accusing them day and night before God, were cast out.

12:11   And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

The devil was not overcome by what any man did, but by what Jesus did. Therefore, the manner of the devil’s defeat was based upon the sacrifice of Jesus, and their testimony was to that fact, even if it meant their death.

12:12   Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.  Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

There was great rejoicing when Jesus’ sacrifice erased all men’s sins (or the old dragon, or satan, or the devil) which had been accusing them before God.    Although all men now have holy spirit, many will  still suffer from the accusations and deceit of the “devil,” and follow after the flesh, continuing to rebel against God and ignoring the guidance of his spirit.

12:13   And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

The dragon was surprised and shocked to discover that by crucifying Jesus, he had sealed his own doom.  After the old dragon’s defeat in heaven, he switched all his opposition to those seeking to be obedient to God.  During this age the woman, Israel, also includes the Gentiles. Although each person has received a portion of holy spirit, not all have come to faith. Those who do not believe, persecute those who do.

12:14   And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times and half a time from the face of the serpent.

God has always protected Israel from total destruction; he will provide a place for her protection.  From the face indicates that the woman was hidden from the sight of those who sought to destroy her.  After the dragon was cast out of heaven, he was referred to only as a puny snake, not a dragon. It was now the snake, not the dragon, pursuing the woman, Israel, as she fled into the wilderness for a sanctuary provided by God.

12:15   And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Waters, floods, rivers, oceans, and seas are often synonyms for people.  This means that, over time, a great many people have persecuted true believers and desired to destroy them.  This is not the desire of some old fallen angel, but the desire of people who want to take over the earth.

12:16   And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

The earth swallowed up the people who were pursuing Israel. There was simply too much territory for the persecutors to cover. His followers were not enough to root out all the Israelites.

12:17   And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The dragon, or the anti-christ government, in frustration, targets God’s faithful followers and slaughters them.  To keep the commandments of God means to love God and to love mankind. To have the testimony of Jesus Christ means to tell others that Jesus is the christ of God, and that he will reign over this earth in God’s own time.

13:1     And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns the crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

A grain of sand indicates individual people, and the sea represents groups of people.  This little beast rose up out of the sea, which indicates a political power above all the other governments on earth. It came out of the chaotic affairs of men on this planet.  Horns indicate strength, and crowns indicate the right to rule; they both refer to political power.  The seven heads bore the ten horns both in this beast and in the first beast (verse 12:3). Here, however, the seven heads no longer wear crowns, but the name of blasphemy.  The beast with ten crowned horns has inherited the power structure prepared by the first beast. The heads of the first beast have been deified and given names which belong only to God.  These were powerful men, symbolized as beasts, which represent satan, or the devil, or the anti-christ government, or the false christ.

13:2     And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

The beast represents the visible manifestation of the festering rebellion against God.  The animals indicate that this beast is powerful and quick to act, focused on its own survival.  The dragon gave his power to the second beast.  Seat symbolizes the transfer of power. The dragon, or satan, or devil, was the first beast with seven heads, with seven crowns on its heads, and ten horns. The second beast was similar, except the crowns were not on the heads, but on the horns. As the first seven political units passed away, their program of resisting God was inherited by the succeeding ten political powers, or horns.  Although the beast will appear to be in charge, it is really the dragon, or the anti-christ government, who delegates any power the beast may demonstrate.  The dragon, the anti-christ government, controls the beast, or ten kingdoms, as though they were puppets.

13:3     And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

Whether “wounded to death” is an actual physical death is not clear, especially since this incident is intended to deceive masses of people.  Wondered means to marvel, or stare in awe at something. People will perceive it as a supernatural event, just as important as the resurrection of Jesus.  It is intended to deceive people into following a false christ.

John described some of the same events he spoke of earlier, but he approached it from a different viewpoint this time.  Earlier, he said the false christ would be the leader of the anti-christ government forces. Now, he is describing a delusion foisted upon the people by this leader. 

13:4     And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

While the people worshiped they apparently sang a song to the dragon and the beast, just as the people in heaven sang to God and the lamb.  The word him, written in the masculine singular, indicates that all ten of the former kings and their power are now subject to the false christ.  He gets his power from the dragon, the anti-christ government.

13:5     And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

This person claims to be God.  The 42 months at the very end of this age, shortly before Jesus returns.  This could be literal, although it most likely refers to an indeterminate length of time.

13:6     And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name; and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

He will ridicule, or slander things of God, and speak great things against God.  Everything God has done and everything the name stands for will be ridiculed and slandered.  To blaspheme his tabernacle means to speak against anything which was considered heavenly.  Them that dwell in heaven are the believers.

13:7     And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

The saints being hunted down and killed are those who remain faithful to God.  All kindred, tongues, and nations means that his power extends to the entire world.

13:8     And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

God’s grace added everyone’s name to the book, but the rebellion of many caused their names to be erased. The phrase, "from the foundation of the world," modifies book, not lamb, and indicates when the book came into existence.

13:9     If any man have an ear, let him hear.

John was telling people to "listen up!"  Since everyone has ears and can hear, therefore none are excused for ignorance.

13:10   He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.  Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Followers of God could see this as a warning to not retract their faith and join the anti-christ forces. Followers of the anti-christ movement could see this as a warning foretelling their own fate.  Faith is belief and trust in God which enables one to be steadfast, constant, enduring, and patient under the tremendous trials which will surely come.

13:11   And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

This is another little beast coming up out of the earth, which refers to all the moral evil symbolized by this person.  This beast gave the impression of a harmless lamb, but he had a great deal of power. This is the kind of beast, or person, needed by the anti-christ government, and the rider of the white horse, or false christ, to promote their cause and provide the aura of religion.  This new beast spoke as the dragon, indicating great power. He was actually against the things of God, but this was hidden from the people through cleverly devised subterfuge.

13:12   And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

This new beast, the false prophet, required that people worship the beast whose deadly wound was healed (verse 13:3).  The religious system promoted by this man requires worship of the god-state, the anti-christ government, and its false christ.  With this man’s help, the anti-christ government is now recognized, and worshiped, as the government representing God. Not only has the government been deified, but its visible head, the false christ, has also been deified. 

13:13   And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

These wonders, or signs, will not be easily explained. They are intended to deceive, so that people will say, "God did it."  The false prophet will have an organization of false prophets, or a priesthood, proclaiming the false gospel to the whole earth.

13:14   and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Most, but not all, will be deceived, which means to mislead, to cause one to go astray, or to become out of the way, or lost.  Miracles are something which normal people cannot explain.  Power indicates that this beast was granted permission, to do these signs, but they were to be done in the sight of the first beast.  He told the people they were to build an image of the beast.

13:15   And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

This image of the beast will somehow be used to separate those who will submit and those who will not.  This image could speak, and it could cause death to those who did not worship it. 

13:16   And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand or in the foreheads:

The groupings here are all inclusive; no one will be excluded.  The grammar shows that people were not forced to receive this mark, or engraving, but they were actually marking themselves!  This shows either how completely they were deceived, or how desperately afraid they were.

13:17   and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Anyone who could not participate in the legal process of buying and selling would possibly starve to death.  This mark is equivalent to either the name of the beast, or the number of his name.  The beast represents the anti-christ government, a dictatorial, religious one, with a false christ as its visible head. All pretense and deception has now been dropped. The choice for people is simple: bow down to the statue of the beast and receive his mark, or be killed.

13:18   Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Many assume that this is the name of a person. But, the false christ, or the first beast whose image has been made, represents a government. This is not the number of “a” man, but the number of man (no “a” on the Greek manuscript), representing the totality of all mankind.   The number of man is 6, repeating it, 66, would emphasize it, and 666 would emphasize it even more.  And, that is what John did, indicating that man had now reached the zenith of his rule on earth. 

Verse 13:18 ends John’s description of the terrible things he saw which were in the little book he ate (verses 10:9-10).  He again used a prolepsis to skip ahead and describe a future event as though it were now happening.

14:1     And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

When Jesus returns, his headquarters will be at Mt. Zion, the place of rule or judgment.   Standing indicates that he was established, firm, and unmovable.  The 144,000 refers to the overcomers who will rule and reign with Christ.  Having the Father’s name written in their foreheads indicates the ownership of God and the obedience of those so marked.

Jesus was described in a proleptic way in verse 14:1. That allowed John to give a preview of the seven bowls and the seven accompanying plagues which will occur at the beginning of the next age.  The prolepsis, which began in verse 14:1, ends with verse 16:12.

The prolepsis covers verses 14:1 through 16:12, and includes a parenthetical insert (verses 16:13-16) in the middle, and continues in verses 16:17-21. That this is correct is shown by the words "that great day of God Almighty," which refers to when Jesus returns to earth.

14:2     And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

This was probably God’s voice, often equated with waters and thunder.  The harpers were the four beasts and 24 elders.

14:3     and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:  and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

The singers were the redeemed ones purchased by the death of Jesus. 

14:4     These are they which were not defiled with women; and they are virgins.  These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.  These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

The meaning attached to intercourse is symbolic.  Intercourse often referred to deserting the worship and service of the one true God.  All idolatrous worship (intercourse) does defile a man.  This is also another reference to the devotion and obedience of those who make up the group of 144,000.

14:5     And in their mouth was found no guile:  for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The remnant God has chosen have the stamp of God, which guarantees they will no longer be harmed by anyone. They will not speak with guile to deceive anyone; they will speak truth.