Revelation
A Commentary

Before we comment on the last verse in this chapter, I would like to briefly consider the phrase, “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.” We learned in chapter 2 that before anyone could buy or sell in the marketplace in Pergamos, they must have first offered incense to Caesar. Also, in Thyatira, before anyone could join a trade guild, they would have to worship and give honor to Caesar. Again, the offering of incense would constitute as an act of worship. In Asia, many of the Jews were merchants. Since the priests offered incense in the Temple at Jerusalem to Caesar and to the Roman people, according to Josephus, then these Asian Jews saw no harm in doing the same in order to join the trade guilds and to earn a living as merchants.

Verse 18. We now come to the verse which contains the most infamous number of all history, “666”. John writes that it is the number of the beast and the number of a man. In Oriental thought, the number six was evil, sinister. Also, in the ancient languages such as Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, the alphabet served a dual purpose. Each letter also represented a number. The numerical value of Nero Caesar was 666. Kenneth Gentry in his book, The Beast of Revelation, commented about an inscription in the ruins of Pompeii that read, “I love her whose number is 545” (written in Greek, of course). This type of cryptogram was very common in the first century. John’s readers would undoubtedly know of whom John was referring.

While most interpret this personage to be the Antichrist, I do not believe he fulfills the description given by the apostles Paul and John. Let’s look what they have to say about the Antichrist. First of all, the only place in Scripture where the word “antichrist” is used in found in I & II John. There it is recorded five times.

        “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”  (I John 2:18)  

        “Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”  (I John 2:22)  

        “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (I John 4:3) 

        “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”  (2 John 7)  

        “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

        Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2Thess.2:3,4)

Read also I Tim.4:1-3.  Both Paul and John describe this person as one who is a “deceiver” and one who perverts the Gospel. Essentially, it is someone who teaches error, false doctrine, tradition, or otherwise, would cause apostasy within the Church. In fact, John states that there are those who are in the Church who have this “spirit of the antichrist”. It is someone who is within and not someone who is outside of the Church who is trying to destroy its teachings.

Paul goes into a little more detail about this infamous personage. He warns that this person will try and usurp God’s authority and will sit in the temple of God, that is, in the place of God.

The prefix “anti”, in the Greek, can mean either (1) over; against, or (2) instead of, in place of. The context must determine which is correct. Here, this man of sin sits in the temple of God, as if he were God. Whenever Paul uses the term temple of God, he is referring to the Church and not the Jewish temple (see I Cor.3:9,16,17). Thus, the antichrist is someone inside the Church who attempts to destroy it by leading it into apostasy, while the person with the identification of 666 is someone outside the Church.

As one writer puts it, “as all roads lead to Rome, so do they all terminate at Nero Caesar’s palace”. To John's readers of the first century, Nero was the only contemporary historical figure who could possibly fulfill all of the requirements for the beast whose number was 666.

Chapter 14      

Verses 1-5. The 144,000 were first introduced in chapter 7. There we learned that they represented the Church. And, within this context, they represent the 1st century Church. Remember that in chapter 7, they were “sealed” from harm during God’s wrath and judgment on apostate Israel. Here, in chapter 14, we find that these 144,000 have come through victorious and are thus able to sing the “song of the redeemed”.

Notice that they are referred to as “virgins” and that they “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth”. These terms merely emphasize the fact that true believers are faithful to Christ and his commandments. This is in accord with other Scripture as found in the following passages.

        “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor.11:2) 

        “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) 

        “If ye love me, keep my commandments…He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…” (John 14:15,21)

John described these 144,000 which “stood on the mount Sion” with the Lamb as “firstfruits”. Is John describing the Church on earth or the Church in heaven? I believe it encompasses both. In James 1:18, we read, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” An even more revealing passage of Scripture is found in Heb.12:22,23.

        “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.

        To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” 

Both John and the writer of Hebrews use very similar language in describing the first century Church, who were the “firstfruits.”

Verses 6-7. Next, John sees an angel flying “in the midst of heaven”. John writes that this angel had the “everlasting gospel”. The angel’s message was to, “Fear God, and give glory to him”. This message is reminiscent of the “Preacher’s” message as found in Eccl.12:13.

        “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” 

Verses 8 -

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

Initially, this verse, and the verses following, seem to have no connection to the previous seven verses of this chapter. Actually, though, the first seven sets the stage for what is about to happen. The scene begins with God’s true Church; those “firstfruits” who had been redeemed from among men. One must be cognizant of the fact that the apostles and the early church at Jerusalem continued in many of the Temple activities and Jewish traditions. This can be clearly

Seen in reading the book of Acts. However, that which was about to happen would forever wean them from their Jewish roots and Temple observances. That is when they would then be more able to preach the “everlasting gospel” to all them that dwell in the earth (land/Judea). This gospel is the new covenant, since the last vestiges of the old covenant would soon be

destroyed. In verse 7, John says that the “hour of his judgment is come”, that is, Jerusalem.

As we have tried to prove thus far in this commentary, the main thrust and theme of the book of Revelation is the judgment of the apostate Jewish nation. Beginning with verse 8 through chapter 18, we now come to the grand finale of this historic event.

We first need to find out how and why John uses the term of “Babylon”. Since it does not historically fit the literal Babylon, then John must be using it as a description for some other city. Let’s see if we can follow John’s rationale of his usage of the name of Babylon. To begin with, let’s look at the Old Testament passages in which John is obviously referencing.

        “And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” (Isa.21:9)  

        “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed…” (Jer.51:7,8)

The historical setting for these verses was just prior to Israel’s 70 years of Babylonian captivity. Just as God would used Babylon to bring judgment to Israel, God will use the Medes and the Persians to judge Babylon. So, why then did John use Babylon as a reference for another city? It was because Babylon was renown for its idolatry and that is the stigma now being placed on none other than apostate Israel. But some may say that the Jews didn’t practice idolatry, but only believed in Jehovah. Supposedly, then, only God was their King. If they gave allegiance

to another king other than God, then they would be practicing idolatry. What do the Scriptures tell us?

        “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

        And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.

        But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

        Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

        And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.” (Acts 17:1,2,5,7,8)

Here, they accused Paul of violating the decree of Caesar. What was the decree of Caesar? In all of the Roman empire, people were required to worship Caesar as god and king. This was the decree of Caesar. Instead, they accused Paul of worshiping Jesus as God and King. Since the Jews were well populated throughout the Empire and especially in Asia, they brought this same accusation to all Christians. The Jews were suppose to be the nation that brought light to the Gentiles, instead, they encouraged them to practice Emperor worship.  Next, John refers to this Babylon as “that great city”. Previously, he used this same term to refer to Jerusalem in

Rev.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.” 

So, in describing apostate Jerusalem, John uses names of other cities who have had an infamous and sinful past. He uses these names in describing Israel’s present spiritual condition.

Finally, in ascertaining the city in which John is calling Babylon, I would like to consider the closing of the first epistle of Peter. Peter’s first epistle was most probably written from Jerusalem in which Peter lived. Evidence of this is found in its salutation and in its closing words. Jerusalem, even at this time, had acquired the infamous name of Babylon.

        “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.”  (I Pet.5:13)

Verses 9-13. When reading these verses, the reader must remember the comments regarding the beast from the sea and the lamb-beast from chapter 13. Both deal with the worship of the beast from the sea having seven heads and ten horns. Of course, we learned that this beast was none other but Nero Caesar, the man whose number was 666. John here describes the consequences of all those who compromise their allegiance to God and succumb to Emperor

worship regardless of their degree of complicity. Their resistance may even require their lives. By inspiration of the Spirit, John calls these martyrs “blessed”. He further assures them that they would experience “rest” and their “works” would be rewarded.

Verses 14-19. As I’ve mentioned previously, the book of Revelation depicts the judgment of apostate Israel from several perspectives. Some scenes describe the judgment starting with the Jewish revolt from Rome, and consequently, Rome’s military action against such a revolt. Other visions, however, are concentrated more on the siege of Jerusalem and its subsequent destruction. While other visions focus more on the Neronian persecution against the Christians. This entire period covered approximately five years from 65 A.D. to 70 A.D. In the vision before us, John sees Jesus sitting upon a cloud with a sickle in his hands. From the heavenly temple,

an angel with a sharp sickle also appears. Both Jesus and the angel are instructed to thrust in their sickles for the “harvest of the earth (land/Judea) is ripe”. Thus begins God’s judgment upon an un-Godly Jewish nation. Also, we should point out that these angels came directly from the “temple”, that is, from the presence of God. John draws attention to the angel who had “power over fire”. Actually, in the Greek, it is “power over the fire”. This is  the fire from the altar. Here, John reminds us of the significance of this fire. It is the same fire which was offered with the “prayers of the saints”. We saw this in our comments of 6:9-10 and 8:3-5. Thus, God responds to the prayers of the saints to avenge their blood.

Verse 20. In considering this last verse of this chapter, I will quote it here in order to make it more readily available as we comment upon it.

        “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” 

I believe this vision refers to the Romans’ campaign against many of the cities of Judea in their attempt to quell the Jewish revolt. Historically, the Roman armies waged war against the major cities of Judea. Jerusalem was the last city and, of course, the most important city for them to conquer. By using the phrase “without the city”, John is referring to the campaign against the cities of Judea and not to the siege of Jerusalem itself. Josephus gives us a detailed account of this Judean campaign.

By using the imagery of the blood reaching the horses’ bridles, John is describing how brutal and bloody this war against the Jewish rebellion would be. This is in perfect agreement with the account that Josephus records for us. In fact, Josephus wrote that, “Galilee was all over filled with fire and blood.” There are some commentators who take the vision of blood reaching to the horses’ bridles for a space of 1600 furlongs in a literal sense. This amount of blood would require trillions of people! Obviously, the number 1600 must be taken as a symbolic figure. The number can be broken down to four squared and ten squared. In Scripture, four symbolizes the land and ten refers to completeness. Sixteen hundred furlongs is approximately 200 miles which is a little more than the length of the land of Israel. Thus, the symbol represents the devastation of the judgment wreaked upon apostate Israel.

Chapter 15

Verse 1.- “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”

In chapter 8, we saw the seven angels with the seven trumpets of judgment . Now, we have seven angels with the seven last plagues. As we shall see later, these seven last plagues are contained in seven vials or bowls. So then, God’s judgment of apostate Israel was revealed to John in the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials. Throughout the book of Revelation, we find this kind of parallelism. The last phrase of this verse is what the book

of the Apocalypse is all about. It is what several of the apostles alluded to in their writings. In referring to the apostate Jews, this is what Paul had to say in I Thess.2:16.

        “Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost”. 

Verses 2-4. John saw a “sea of glass mingled with fire”. Also, he saw all those who had “gotten the victory over the beast” standing on this sea of glass. Remember that John had just had a vision of the land covered with blood. This, of course, was the judgment of God’s wrath on the apostate Jewish nation. Now, he sees a sea of “red” (fire/blood). This represents the same judgment. The difference, however, is that the ungodly are covered in this sea, whereas,  the righteous are standing on top of this sea totally untouched by its judgments. During the same period of time in which God is administering His judgment of wrath upon Israel, the Christians are going through tribulation and many become martyrs for Christ. Thus, they are able to sing the song of Moses. The Israelites sang this song after God had destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea, but had delivered them safely through on the other side of the sea. The song of Moses is found in Exodus 15:1,4.

        “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.” 

        Verses 5-8. After showing the scene of the victorious Christians, John now returns to the judgment theme of the Revelation. He sees seven angels coming from the presence of God, that is, the Holy of Holies of the heavenly temple. John continues to watch as he sees one of the four beasts (these were first introduced in chapter 4) give to the seven angels the vials of the wrath of God. John says that the temple became “filled with the glory of God, and from his power”. Because of this glory, no man could enter into the temple. This is exactly what happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple as recorded in 2 Chron.7:1,2.

        “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices: and glory of the LORD filled the house.

        And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.” 

        As a righteous Judge, God must execute judgment on the ungodly. However, he demonstrates his glory by his mercy and graciousness to those who obey him. God showed Moses this glory in Exodus 34:5-7.

        “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

        And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

        Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” 

Chapter 16

        Verses 1-7. In chapter 14, we taught that the harvest of the earth (land) by the son of man and the angel with the sharp sickle symbolizes God's judgment on the land of israel. Of course, we know that this judgment was divinely executed by the roman armies. In the chapter before us, however, i believe that the focus of the judgment now is on the city of jerusalem itself. It describes in much detail what actually transpired during the siege of Jerusalem of 69 A. D. To 70 A.D. In these verses, john reveals to us the judgments contained in the vials of the first three angels. After the first angel poured his vial, it caused a grievous sore upon the men who had worshiped the beast and had his mark. Because of the multiplied thousands of corpses that lay everywhere inside the walls of jerusalem, pestilence and disease were inevitable outcomes. Josephus records that the rebellious factions within the city actually walked upon the bodies that lay bloated within its gates. The second angel poured his vial upon the sea and it became as blood. The third angel poured his vial upon the rivers and the fountains and they became blood. John gives us the reason for this in verse 6: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Jesus tells us what city was guilty of killing the saints and the prophets in luke 13:33,34.

        “Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

        O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” 

Because it was Jerusalem which killed the saints and the prophets, God would render to her the same judgment which she had rendered to the prophets, namely her own blood would be required. This is what was meant by God given them blood to drink. Notice what Josephus had to say about the apostate rulers within Jerusalem:

        “For God had blinded their minds for the transgressions they had been guilty of…no more than they could discern how a famine was creeping upon them; for hitherto they had fed themselves out of the public miseries, and drank the blood of the city”. 

Finally, with reference to the blood in the sea and the rivers, Josephus makes this interesting and very apropos comment.

        “Now this destruction that fell upon the Jews, as it was not inferior to any of the rest in itself, so did it still appear greater than it really was; and this, because not only the whole of the country through which they had fled was filled with slaughter, and Jordan [river] could not be passed over, by reason of the dead bodies that were in it, but because the lake Asphaltitis [sea] was also full of dead bodies, that were carried down into it by the river.” 

Verses 8-11. The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun. John says that power was given unto him, that is, the sun to scorch men with fire. Again, I cannot overly emphasize the fact, that in order to understand this book of prophecy, then the reader must view its visions from a first century perspective. This is necessary since the apocalypse was addressed to Christians of Johns own era. With that in mind, lets find out what those first century readers knew. As we have already discussed in the letters to the seven churches, the imperial cult (the worship of the Caesars as gods) was at its heightened status during this period. There were two temples dedicated to Caesar as the sun-god. Both of these were located in Asia, one in Pergamos and the other in Smyrna. 

It is no coincidence that John, in writing to the church in Pergamos, stated that was where Satans seat is and he also said that it was where Satan dwelleth. Remember in our comments of chapter 13 that the beast (Nero/Rome) received his power from Satan. Also, because of this emphasis of emperor worship, John wrote to the church of Smyrna that he knew of their tribulation. In fact, he told them that the devil would cast some of them into prison and some would even suffer martyrdom. Lastly, Nero maintained that he was of a miraculous and divine birth. Therefore, he built the largest palace of any of the emperors and then erected a colossal gilded statue (120 ft. ) of the sun-god. Of course, he had the artisans carve this Colossus of Sol with his own facial features, since he claimed that honor as the sun-god for himself.

With these facts in mind, we can see how God did in fact give Nero power, that is, authority to accomplish Gods righteous judgment against an apostate Israel. Furthermore, we know that Jerusalem was burned with fire by the Roman armies in 70 A. D. In verse 11, John writes that the ungodly men still refused to repent of their evil deeds. Lets now look at Josephus first-hand account of the siege of Jerusalem with these verses in mind.

        “But when the Romans went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook, without mercy, and set fire to the houses whither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest; and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper rooms full of dead corpses, that is of such as died by the famine…

        And made the whole city run down with blood, to such degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men’s blood…yet did the fire greatly prevail in the night; and as all was burning, came that eighth day of the month upon Jerusalem.

        But these men, and these only, were incapable of repenting of the wickedness they had been guilty of.” 

        Verses 12-16. John now records that the sixth angel poured out his vial on the river Euphrates and made the water dry up. This allowed the kings of the east to advance without difficulty. Next, John sees three unclean spirits in the form of frogs come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet (the lamb-beast). The purpose of these spirits of devils was to cause all to come together for the great day of God Almighty, in other words, in preparation of Gods judgment on the ungodly. The place of this historic battle was called Armageddon by John. Lets see if we can put all this into perspective. 

Since Jerusalem had taken on the nature and attributes of the idolatrous Babylon, John makes reference of how historic Babylon was conquered by the Medes and the Persians. He states that the waters of the Euphrates which flowed through Babylon dried up. 170 years before it happened, Isaiah prophesied how the Persians (he even spoke Cyrus by name) would be able to enter Babylon and conquer it.

        “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him;

        and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.” 

        (Isa.45:1,2)

        Babylon was surrounded by a huge wall wide enough for chariots to ride upon on. Since the Euphrates flowed through it, the city was additionally protected by having, in the river, large brass gates preventing entrance via the river.

On the fateful night of its downfall, king Belshazzar was having a feast. During this time of revelry, fingers of a mans hand appeared and began writing on the wall. Daniel was called in to interpret its meaning. In essence, the message said that Babylon would be judged and given to the Medes and the Persians. That same night, Belshazzar was killed. Just as the prophecy of Isaiah had said, someone had failed to shut the gates of the river. During the night, the armies of the Medes and the Persians had diverted the flow of the Euphrates, and they were able to march in through the river bed. By the way, the countries of Media and Persia were east of Babylon. 

In summary, John was saying that in the same way that He aided the Medes and the Persians to conquer Babylon, He would also aid the Romans to conquer an apostate Israel and Jerusalem. Throughout history, God has used nations to carry out His judgment on other nations. He would even allow unclean spirits to work miracles in order to accomplish His will. We will again draw upon the writings of Josephus to hopefully shed light on these verses. Before the siege of Jerusalem, the waters of Siloam and other springs outside of the city were on the verge of drying up. With regard to God helping the Romans, I will first give a quote from Josephus speaking to his fellow Jews, and then give a quote from Titus.

        “Accordingly, you know that Siloam, as well as all the other springs that were without the city, did so far fail,  that water was sold by distinct measures; whereas they now have such a great quantity of water for your enemies (the Romans), as is sufficient not only for drink both for themselves and their cattle.” 

        “We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications; for what could the hands of men, or any machines, do towards overthrowing these towers.” 

        Josephus even addresses the fact of miracles happening, and false prophets who helped enable Jerusalem’s own destruction.

        “A false prophet was the occasion of these people’s destruction, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to get up upon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their deliverance. Now, there was then a great number of false prophets suborned by the tyrants to impose upon the  people, who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God… 

        Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did not attend, nor give credit, to the signs that were so evident and did so plainly foretell their future desolation;

        And they did not regard the denunciations that God made to them. Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year.” 

Finally, in our discussion of this passage, we will consider the reference made about the battle that was to take place at Armageddon. To begin with, Armageddon is a combination of two words: Har and Megiddo. Har means mount or mountain. So, the combined word means mount Megiddo. Of course, there is no such geographical location as this. Megiddo is a town located just west of the plain or valley of Jezreel. The closest mountain would be mount Carmel. The valley of Jezreel was situated between mount Tabor to the northeast and mount Gilboa to the southeast and mount Carmel to the northwest. This valley was also known as the valley of Megiddo. It was in the valley of Megiddo where king Josiah met his death as he went against king Necho of Egypt. Immediately after the death of Josiah, Judah slipped back into apostasy, upon which, caused her destruction. The valley of Jezreel or Megiddo was the scene of many of Israels ancient battles. Since mount Carmel was the closest mountain to Megiddo, John was probably drawing from historical events that included both. Remember, it was at Carmel where Elijah had the show-down with the prophets of Baal. It was where God executed His righteous judgment on these ungodly prophets. Therefore, John uses both as a reference to Gods judgment upon an apostate Jerusalem.

Verses 17-21. Lastly, the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air. In this last vial, the city is divided into three parts. As weve mentioned previously, Jerusalem was divided into three rebellious factions led by Eleazar, Simon, and John. They contributed greatly to Jerusalems demise. Notice that in verse 19, John makes a distinction between the cities of the nations (Gentiles) and great Babylon. This is further evidence that Babylon is none other than Jerusalem. 

Also, John records that great hail about the weight of a talent fell from heaven. The weight of a talent was approximately 100 pounds. Josephus describes for us the most probable meaning of this hail.

        “The engines, that all the legions had ready prepared for them, were admirably contrived; but still more extraordinary ones belonged to the tenth legion; those that threw darts and those that threw stones, were more forcible and larger than the rest. Now, the stones that were cast were of the weight of a talent, and were carried two furlongs and farther. As for the Jews, they at first watched the coming of the stone, for it was of a white color, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great noise it made, but could be seen also before it came by its brightness.” 

Chapter 17

        Verses 1-5. One of the seven angels with the vials came to John and told him that he would show John the judgment of the whore. Although this is the first time that the term whore was used in the Revelation, it appears that John knew of whom the angel was speaking. John says that the angel carried him away in the spirit into the wilderness. Therefore, John is being given the ability to see the spiritual condition of this woman who sat upon a beast full of blasphemy. The wilderness was a place of desolation and barrenness. John uses the terms whore and woman interchangeably. In the Greek text, the word translated woman is the same as the word for wife. Who was this wife who had committed whoredom? Of course, the reference would be to Jerusalem (Israel) who had been the wife of God. 

We have already discussed Jerusalems association with the name of Babylon. So now, we will just consider the phrase THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. This was not the first time that Israel had played the harlot. Also, the word abomination always carries with it the connotation of idolatry. Although there are many passages of Scripture that speak to this idea, we will just quote a few.

        “How is the faithful city become an harlot; it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.” 

        Isaiah 1:21

        “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredoms, departing from the LORD.”  Hosea 1:2

        “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem…

        I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen,  and I covered thee with silk.

        I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

        And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

        Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work;

        Thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

        And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had

        put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

        But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and played the harlot because of thy renown, and poured out thy fornications on every one that passed by…

        And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and played the harlot…

        Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself

        images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them.

        And in all thine abominations and thy wholesome thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth…

        But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband.”  Ezekiel

        16:2,3,10-17,22,32

        I want to quote verse 4 at this point, so the reader can see the similarity between John’s description of this  Mystery Babylon and Ezekiel’s description of the unfaithful city of Jerusalem.

        “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” 

Verses 6-11. Next, John notices that the woman is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. John then makes this unusual comment: I wondered with great admiration. This, of course, is from the KJV. The word admiration really is just another form of the word wonder. Both are from the primary verb meaning to look closely at. The angel even asks John why he marvels at this vision. We, of course, can only imagine what prompted John to marvel at the sight of this woman riding upon a beast with seven heads and ten horns. Please permit me to give you my thoughts of why John was amazed at this vision. I will begin with a passage taken from another of Johns writings, the gospel of John.

        “Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

        And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.

        But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.” (John 18:14-16)

Undoubtedly, John was that other disciple. We do not know to what extent or on what basis the high priest knew John; we only know that he did. The apostles and especially John were very Jewish. Remember, in the first chapter of Acts probably the day of Jesus ascension, the disciples asked Jesus, Lord , wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel. They, at this point, still were carnal and did not understand that Jesus kingdom was a spiritual kingdom. They believed what every Jew was taught, that is, that the Messiah would deliver them from their enemies and would set up an earthly kingdom. 

Ive said all this to put the thoughts of John into perspective. Even though John knew that Jerusalem and Israel must be judged for their sins and unbelief, I dont believe that he knew to what depth Israels sins had taken her. Just as he had known the high priest and possibly many other religious leaders of his day, he could not fathom the implications of their wickedness. It is only human nature to believe and see the best qualities of your friends and especially those of your loved ones.

However, John was given the rare privilege to be taken in the spirit to view the utter depravity of Jerusalem, the harlot. The drinking of blood was anathema to a Godly Jew. So, when John was able to spiritually see this woman (Jerusalem) drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs, then he was aghast and was in total awe of this unthinkable scene. John probably even recalled that even as Pilate had tried to release Jesus, the crowd cried out prophetically, His blood be on us, and on our children. The angel now tells John that he would explain this scarlet colored beast. I believe David Chilton is correct in his book, The Days of Vengeance, when he states that the scarlet colored beast is a composite of both the dragon of chapter 12 and the sea beast of chapter 13. Let me explain the reasons for taking this position. First, in chapter 13, the seven heads of the beast represented seven emperors. Also, the dragon was separate and distinct from the beast as is seen in 13:2. However, in verses 9 and 10 of this chapter, we see that the seven heads represent both the seven hills of Rome and the seven kings (emperors). So, this is our first composite found in this vision.

Second, the angel describes the beast separately from the seven kings as seen in verses 10 and 11. The beast here is said to go into perdition. This is a definite reference to Satan, the dragon. Who else but Satan ascends out of the bottomless pit (verse 8). So, the heads of the beast and the beast who was, and is not, and yet it makes the second composite. Third, this vision clearly emphasizes the close interrelationship of the dragon (Satan), heads of the beast (Rome/Emperors), and the woman (apostate Israel/Jerusalem). Please read again the comments on chapter 13 to see this intimacy of Satan, Rome, and Israel/Jerusalem (the lamb-beast). This is the third composite. If the reader will recall, Ive maintained that the visions of the Apocalypse reveal the judgment of apostate Israel from many different perspectives. This vision is in reality a synopsis of the visions of chapter 12 and chapter 13. Again, I would like to remind the reader that Satan works through human agencies in order to accomplish his goals. Also, as we saw in chapter 12, Satans ultimate goal is to destroy Christianity. Finally, before we proceed to the next passage of Scripture, I would like to hopefully clarify verse 11.

        “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” 

Although the KJV has the definite article before eighth, it is absent in the Greek text. In verse 10, the definite article the is before the list of the kings in the Greek text: (1) the five are fallen, (2) the one is, and (3) the other is not yet come. What is the significance of this? Well, as weve discussed previously, the first five Caesars are: Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. These are all dead (fallen). The Caesar contemporary with the writing of the Revelation is Nero (the one is). The seventh king/Caesar was Galba (the other not yet come). However, in verse 11, John writes about the beast and not the kings as in verse 10. John states that he is eighth, not the eighth as in the KJV. Yet, he is said to be of the seven. The reader should not be surprised at this wording since this is exactly what was revealed to us in chapter 13. The sea beast of chapter 13 does the bidding of the dragon and the lamb-beast causes those of the earth to worship the sea beast. Both beasts receive their power from the dragon and ultimately perform the goals of the dragon (Satan). This is why/how the beast, the eighth is of the seven. It is the alliance of the unholy trinity of the first century: Satan, Rome (Nero), and apostate Israel/Jerusalem. 

Verses 12-18. The angel now proceeds to explain the ten horns of the beast. Since the ten horns come from the seven heads of the beast, and these heads represent Rome and its emperors, then the ten horns most probably stand for the governors/kings of the ten provinces in which the Roman Empire was divided in ancient Rome. As of the time of the writing of the Apocalypse, these horns (kings) have yet to receive their kingdom, that is, their power as kings. John writes that the ten kings will receive their power for one hour with the beast. The key to understanding this phrase can be found in Rev.18:10, for in one hour is thy judgment come. Thus, the ten kings receive their power as kings when they execute judgment on Babylon, the harlot city of Jerusalem. Remember, too, that the beast and, consequently, the ten kings ultimately receive their power from the dragon (Rev.13:2). The angel tells John that these armies of these kings/provinces shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Again, we will resort to quote from Josephus, since he was an eyewitness of these accounts.

        “Now the people of Caesarea had slain the Jews that were among them; insomuch that in one hour’s time above twenty thousand Jews were killed, and all Caesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants.”

        “The people of Scythopolis…cut all the Jews throats. The number that was slain was above thirteen thousand, and then they plundered them of all that they had.”

        “The soldiers of Libya were also permitted not only to kill the Jews, but to plunder them of what they had, and set fire to their houses.”

        “The populace of Alexandria bare so very great hatred to the Jews, that it was difficult to recall them.”

        “There were also great numbers of auxiliaries gathered together from the free cities, who indeed had not the same skill in martial affairs as the Romans, but made up in their alacrity, and in their hatred to the Jews what they wanted in skill.”

        “In the mean time, the people of Damascus, when they were informed of the destruction of the Romans, set about the slaughter of those Jews that were among them; yet did they distrust their own wives, which were almost all of them addicted to the Jewish religion; so they came upon the Jews, and cut their throats, as being in a narrow place, in number ten thousand, and all of them unarmed, and this in one hour’s time.”

        “There came also five other troops of horsemen from Syria. There were also a considerable number of auxiliaries got together, that came from the kings Antiochus, and Agrippa, and Sohemus, each of them contributing one thousand footmen that were archers. Malchus also, the king of Arabia, sent a thousand horsemen.”

        “Now Vespasian came to Caesarea, which lay by the sea-side. This was a very great city of Judea, and for the greatest part inhabited by Greeks; the citizens here received the Roman army with great acclamations partly out of the hatred they bore to the Jews.” 

All of these quotes were to emphasize the fact that the Roman army received help from its horns, that is, kings and armies from its provinces. The passages from Josephus were also to demonstrate that these horns hated the whore (apostate Jews/Jerusalem). History records that the Jews influence extended throughout the Roman Empire. The Book of Acts gives us a list of all the nations where the Jews dwelt.

        “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation other heaven.

        Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia. Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:5,9-11)

It was peoples from these very nations who “hated the whore”; this was because God had “put in their hearts to fulfill his will” to destroy that “great city”, the apostate Jerusalem.

Chapter 18

        Verses 1-8. Here, John witnesses an angel having great power, in so much, that the earth was lightened with his glory. What angel (messenger) was so majestic as this? Also, verse 2 stated that he cried mightily with a strong voice. Lets see if we can find in Scripture someone who fits this description.

        “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.” (Eze.43:2)  

        “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

        “That was the true Light, which lightest every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:4,9)  

        “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man…and his voice as the sound of many waters…and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” (Rev.1:13,15,16)

        From these verses, I believe we can confidently say that this majestic angel was none other than the Lord Jesus. In Johns gospel (John 5:27), we find that God gave him authority to execute judgment. That is why, Christ is the one who announces the fall (judgment) of Jerusalem: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. In this same verse, John gives us the reason for her fall and subsequent judgment. It was because she had become the habitation of devils and to all that were unclean. In Luke 8, we find a demoniac from the region of Gadara. Notice that this demoniac favored living in the tombs. Could it be that when a person who is possessed with a demon dies, that the demon then seeks another living person to reside in? This is possibly why this man had a legion of demons living within him. Notice the words of Jesus concerning this wicked generation of Jews.

        “Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”  (Matt.12:45)

        “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matt.23:27)

In verse 5, the sins of apostate Israel are full, that is, have reached unto heaven. Again, this is a reference to the prophecy found in 1 Thess.2:16, ... to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. John even describes the measures in which God will execute judgment upon this ungodly nation: by death, famine, and fire. As we have seen, this was historically fulfilled in 70 A. D. Verses 9-19. In this passage, we find three groups of people who bewail the fall of Jerusalem: (1) the kings of the earth, vs.9, (2) the merchants of the earth, vs.11, and (3) the shipmasters, vs.17. Jerusalem was a cosmopolitan city which was rich in its commerce. History records that goods were traded here which came from all parts of the earth. The three groups mentioned above all benefited from this commerce. It is significant to note their response to Jerusalems demise: alas, alas or woe, woe.

Both words come from the same Greek word. Josephus records for us a very interesting account of a lone prophet curiously named Jesus who spoke these very same lamentations over Jerusalem prior to, and even during, Jerusalem’s destruction.

        “But, what is still more terrible there was one Jesus, the son of Ananus, a plebeian and a husbandman, who, four years before the war began, and at a time when the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to that feast whereon it is our custom for every one to make tabernacles to God in the temple, began on a sudden to cry aloud,

        ‘A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against this whole people!’ This was his cry, as he went about by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city. However, certain of the most eminent among the

        populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took up the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes; yet did not he either say anything for himself, or anything peculiar to those that chastised him, but still he went on with the same words which he cried before. Hereupon our rulers supposing, as the case proved to be, that

this was a sort of divine fury in the man, brought him to the Roman procurator; where he was whipped till his bones were laid bare: yet did he not make any supplication for himself, nor shed any tears, but turning his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at every stroke of the whip his answer was, Woe, woe, to Jerusalem! This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals; and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months, without growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege, when it ceased; for as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force, Woe, woe, to the city again, and to the people, and to the holy house! And just as he added at the last, ---Woe, woe, to myself also! , there came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him immediately.

Verses 20-24. This chapter ends with the proclamation that now God has avenged the innocent blood of all the prophets, saints, and apostles that had been slain by the ungodly men of this apostate nation. We first saw this prayer of retribution in chapter 6 when the fifth seal was opened. Also, the three woes of chapter 18 are reminiscent of the three woes, or trumpets, found in chapters 9-11. So, finally, we see the end of a nation and a city who rejected their one and only Savior. Truly, he came unto his own, and his own received him not (John 1:11).

Chapter 19

Verses 1-6. John hears great rejoicing in heaven and even discovers what all the excitement is about. He finds out that the rejoicing is due to God having judged the great whore and having avenged the blood of his servants. The reader must remember the true intent and purpose of this book of prophecy. It was to give its readers hope and a sure consolation that their prayers had not gone unheard. Even John told them in the very first chapter that he, too, was a companion in tribulation, in other words, they were not alone. Therefore, in their darkest hour of need, Jesus gives them a message of hope. By reading the words of this prophecy, Jesus said that they would be blessed, that is, happy. They would find joy in knowing that God was in complete control and would bring them forth victorious. Verses 7-10. These next few verses describe an event that prophecy teachers call the marriage supper of the Lamb. In the popular and sensational teaching of the dispensational view, this event occurs within the seven year period between the rapture and the second advent. In other words, while the great tribulation is happening on planet earth, Christ and his Church are having the marriage supper. I would like to introduce to the reader another view to consider. In order for you follow Pauls advice to Timothy in rightly dividing the word of truth, you should consider all views of a teaching or doctrine. Therefore, please weigh the evidence of the following exegesis. After proclaiming that apostate Jerusalem has finally been judged, the announcement comes that the marriage of the Lamb is come. It logically follows that this great news must come after the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Jerusalem and, especially, the temple represented the fabric of the old covenant. This fabric had become old, worn, and tattered. Jesus purchased a new and everlasting covenant by his death and resurrection. The old covenant or testament was but a type and shadow of that which was to come. The wife, that is the Church, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, has made herself ready. The voice from the throne commands John to write: Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. This marriage supper was spoken of by Jesus in one of his parables. The parable thinly veils the meaning of the ones called but who did not come, namely, the Jews.

        “And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

        The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

        And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come…

        And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

        But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and

        burned up their city.

        Then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

        Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.”  (Matt.22:1-9)

        Notice that the kings servants were first sent to those that were bidden. When Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he told them to Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt.10:5,6). Gods call to the lost was always to the Jew first. But, since his own received him not, then the kings servants went to those in the highways, that is, the Gentiles. And, as a result of rejecting the call to the marriage supper and, especially, for killing his servants, the king was wroth and destroyed the murderers and burned up their city. Just as the wife of verse 7 and they which are called in verse 9 both represent the Church, so too, does the wife and those that were bidden in Jesus parable also represent the Church. The call is still for whosoever will. Notice, that the call in the parable continued until the wedding was furnished with guests. As a believer, we are married to Christ and, consequently, may feast at Jesus table even now. Just as John wrote in verse 7, the marriage of the Lamb is come, I believe that as the bride of Christ, we are now feasting at the marriage supper. It is as the great old gospel song says, Come and Dine. Verses 11-16. Next, John witnesses heaven being opened and he beholds one sitting on a white horse. In the passage before us, the rider is given three different titles or names: (1) Faithful and True, (2) The Word of God, and (3) KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. John wants us to know, without a doubt, that this rider is Jesus. Curiously, though, John mentions that the rider had another name that no man knew, but he himself. What does this mean? To begin with, as with our comments on the over-comer in Rev.2:17, I believe this phrase speaks of being special and unique. But what other insights can we glean for the meaning of this mysterious phrase. I am drawn to the immortal prayer of Jesus found in John 17. Within this prayer, we find these words:

        “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

        And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” 

Throughout Scripture, God has progressively revealed his nature, character, and essence to man via his revelatory names. In the minds of the ancients, the name of the person represented that person. I will give to the reader a partial list of these names with their most probable meanings. For purposes of clarification, let me mention how the King James Version translates certain words for God. The KJV translates any Hebrew word for God as God. However, when the Hebrew word is YHVH (Jehovah), then it is translated as GOD or LORD.

• El - The Strong One

• Elohim - Fullness of might (Plural noun but used with singular pronouns and singular        verbs); Plurality in Unity

• El Elyon - God Most High

• El Shaddai - Almighty God

• Jehovah - The Self-Existing One (YHVH--the personal name)

• Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord will provide

• Jehovah-Rophi - The Lord that healeth

• Jehovah-Tsidkenu - The Lord is righteousness

• Jehovah-Shalom - The Lord is peace

All these names were revealed to the Hebrews as God met their particular need at that moment of their history. It wasnt until the advent of Christ did God reveal to man his ultimate name. It was a name that would unveil Gods purpose and intent for man since his creation.

        “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  (Matt.1:21) 

        “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12)

The name of Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua which means Jehovah is salvation. That is why Peter, while under the unction of the Spirit, spoke with such urgency the words that we find here in Acts 4. I felt that I needed to lay this foundation about Gods name before I attempted to explain the meaning of the name which no man knew, but he himself. The wording of this verse reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matt.11:27.

        “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”  (See also John 10:15)

Remember, that ones name was the same as the person himself. In this verse, we see that Jesus revealed to man the Fathers nature and attributes. That is why when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father he said,

        “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Phillip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9). 

He goes on to explain that the mighty works and teachings that he did was all for the purpose of revealing the Father to them. If they had been sensitive to spiritual things, they would have seen that the Father was loving, merciful, longsuffering, forgiving, righteous, omnipotent, and omniscient. That is why Jesus stated in John 17, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. Could it be that the unknown name in Rev.19:12 was a name that expressed or revealed that most deep and intimate relationship that the Father and Son shared together? Or, since God used names to progressively reveal himself to man, could it be that the name represented Christ in his new role after his mediatorial role in reconciling the world back to God was finished? This thought comes from the passage in I Cor.15:28. And when all things shall be subdued unto him (Christ), then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him (Father) that put all things under him (Christ), that God may be all in all. Therefore, whether the name was another revelatory name that revealed the intimacy of the Godhead or, a name that revealed Christ's new role, it was a name that was incomprehensible to the minds of men.

Verses 17-21. Notice the obvious contrast that we find in verse 17 as compared to that in verse 9: supper of the Lamb versus supper of the great God. One speaks of a joyous feasting in the presence of the Lamb (Christ), while the other refers to the feasting of the birds of carrion upon those who have been judged by the Judge of the Earth. John continues to look as he sees a great army led by the beast and the false prophet as they make war against the rider on the white horse and his armies. The calling of the birds of prey was in anticipation of the inevitable result of the conflict between the KING OF KINGS/LORD OF LORDS and the beast and the false prophet. To Johns readers who were enduring much tribulation, this word of prophecy brought much comfort and hope. Their enemies: the beast (Nero/Rome) and the false prophet (apostate Jews/Jerusalem) were judged according to their deeds. They were both cast alive into the lake of fire. This denotes that their judgment was quick and contemporary with the historical events and not postponed for the Last Judgment. We spoke of this conquering rider on a white horse back in chapter 6 when the first seal was opened. It was the first seal to be opened because God wanted to relieve all fears and anticipations of Johns readers. From the beginning of the book until the end, God confirms that he is in control and that Christ will be victorious. Just as the prophet Daniel prophesied in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream, in the days of the fourth world kingdom (Roman Empire), a stone cut out without hands (Christ) would set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed (Dan.2).

Before we continue to chapter 20, let the reader note that only the beast and the false prophet were cast into the lake of fire and not the dragon. As we shall soon see, the dragon will also meet that same destiny, but there is a vast time lapse before that happens. The first two enemies of the early Christians met their judgment nearly 2000 years ago, whereas, the real enemy of the Church (Satan) will come to his fate at the final judgment.