January 15, 2003

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

A great wonder was an extraordinary spectacle or event that points beyond
itself; a sign a woman clothed with the sun meant for a backdrop.

The moon under her feet meant she was standing on the moon.

Upon her head a crown of twelve stars goes back to Genesis 37:9-10 to
Joseph sees in a vision the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to
him. Jacob was the sun, Leah as the moon, and his brothers as the eleven
stars, the twelfth star is Joseph. John took this picture to the future.

The woman represents Israel in the tribulation.

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

This could signify the rebirth of Jersualem in Isaiah 66:7 and see Micah
4:10. The woman (Israel) gives birth to Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The
woman does not represent the church, because the church in scripture is
the bride not the mother of Christ.

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 head.

The red dragon is described in Revelation 12:9. Dragons abound in
mythology of ancient people. In the Old Testament, they are normally used
metaphorically to depict the enemies of God and of Israel.

Seven heads is symbolic of universal wisdom.

Ten horns is symbolic of great power.

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.

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.

A man child is the Messiah.

Rod of iron is how Jesus will rule the earth the 1000 years in Revelation
20. Caught up unto God was the Ancension of Christ,

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.

The wilderness is where Jesus told Israel to flee when the antichrist
apperared in Matthew 24:15. After 3 1/2 years of the seven year
tribulation, the antichrist will break his compact with Israel by
desecrating the temple see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. The time (1260 days) is
the protection for the Jewish remnant who flees to Bozrah/Petra,
that corresponds to the time of persecution or great tribulation or
Jacob's trouble or day of the LORD.

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

Michael is an archangel who defeats Satan in heavenly warfare. In Daniel
12:1, he is the protector of Israel who will deliver her from tribulation
in the last days.

12:8 And prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.

12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that 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.

Not the original casting of Satan out of heaven, (in Isaiah 14:12-15) but
apparently a change from being the prince of the power of the air to
being confined to the earth, a further demotion an explanation of his
intense hostility against God's people in the last days.

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.

Satan in the Hebrew language means accuser.

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.

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.

He hath but a short time refers to the period Satan has toward the people
of God in that he tries to cause intense hostility for the last time
towards them, but fails.

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

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. Again,
this is the time when the Jewish remnant of believers in JESUS CHRIST are
hiding.

A time, and times, and half a time refers to one year plus two years plus
half a year in Revelation 11:2 and this is the tribulation period when
Satan and the antichrist seek to destroy Israel, and in so doing attempt
to nullify the fufillment of God's promises to them.

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.

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 opened her mouth in Numbers 16:30-33, when it opened and
swallowed Korah's men, in which amounted to 250 men, women, and children.

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 remnant of her seed refer to the saved Jews. The testimony of Jesus
is the testimony that Jesus bore for the Jews.

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 ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The beast rise up out of the sea was first mentioned in Revelation 11:7.
However, he seems to be the final personal antichrist. The backdrop of
this is in Daniel 7:2-7 when Daniel sees four great beasts in a vision.

The seven heads totals the number of heads of the four beasts. Daniel
sees it in Daniel Chapter 7.

The ten horns corresponds to the ten horns on the fourth beast in Daniel
7:7-8:24. This is a confederation of ten kingdoms needed by the
antichrist.

The name of blasphemy is like when Roman emperors tended to assume titles
of deity, like Domitian was addressed "Dominus et Deus noster"
translaters to our Lord and God.

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 authority.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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 faith of the saints.

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.

Another beast coming up out of the earth means to some that he symbolizes
religious power in the service of secular authorities. However, in
accordance with the personal aspects of the antichrist he is the personal
false prophet.

Two horns like a lamb appears as he is gentle and harmless.

Spake as a dragon refers to Matthew 7:15 on Jesus' warning about ravening
wolves who come in sheep's clothing.

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.

Exerciseth all the power of the first beast means the trinity of evil is
now complete. The beast from the earth is under the authority of the
beast from the sea. The latter in subject to the dragon. Satan, secular
power, and religious compromise or (Satan, the antichrist, and the false
prophet) join against the cause of God: (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

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

Great wonders see more information in Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and Matthew
24:24.

Fire from heaven appears first in 1 Kings 18:24-39.

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.

Make an image refers to Daniel 3:1-11 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

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.

Should both speak is the belief in statues that would speak is widely
attested in ancient literature. Ventriloquism and other forms of
deception were common.

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

The mark whatever its origin-a possibility is the branding of slaves or
enemy soldiers, the sealing or stamping of official documents, or the
sign of the cross on the forehead of a new Christian-the mark of the
beast apparently symbolized allegiance to the demands of the imperial
cult. In the final days of the antichrist it will be the ultimate test of
loyalty. It imitates the sealing of the Jewish servants of God in Chapter
7.

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.

Buy or sell is a economic boycott against all faithful believers.

The number of his name in ancient times the letters of the alphabet
served for numbers. Riddles using numerical equivalents for names were
popular.

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.

Six hundred threescore and six or 666 has various schemes for decoding
these numbers result in such names as Euanthas, Lateinos, and Nero
Caesar. Others take 666 as a symbol for the trinity of evil and
imperfection-each digit falls just short of the perfect number 7.

REVELATION 14: Are the 144,000 Sealed Jews now RAPTURED, too?- TAKEN OUT
around the time of the seventh TRUMPET JUDGMENT, which contains the
HORRORS of the vial or bowl judgments, around 45 days before JESUS'
SECOND COMING, and the only ones possibly EXEMPT from these horrors will
be the hidden Jewish remnant at Petra or Bozrah. UNLESS THOSE DAYS WERE
SHORTENED, THERE SHOULD BE NONE LEFT ALIVE, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELECT
(remnant) THESE DAYS SHALL BE SHORTENED! Meanwhile, the 144,000 are in
heaven, in order to participate in the heavenly wedding feast and return
with the Church saints who were raptured at the sixth seal judgment, the
dead in Christ including martyrs, also mentioned in a GROUP in REVELATION
CHAPTER 14, and angels, so all can come back BEHIND JESUS together at the
SECOND COMING! --"Cheyenne Cin"
14:1 And I looked, and lo a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an
hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in
their foreheads.

Mount Sion in the Old Testament was the fortress of the pre-Israelite
city of Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 5:7, captured by David and established it
as his capital. Later it became a virtual synonym for Jerusalem. In
Revelation, as in Hebrews 12:22-24, it is the heavenly Jerusalem, the
external dwelling place of God and His people (see Galatians 4:26). It
comes down to the new earth in Revelation 21:2-3.

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

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 theme of the new song is deliverance.

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

Not defiled with women means it could be a symbolic description of
believers who kept themselves from defiling relationships with the pagan
world system, or it could signify that they are only males.

They are virgins could confirm the literal interpretation or more likely
means CHRISTIANS - also referred to as "virgins".

Follow the lamb is like His disciples did (Matthew 19:21 and Mark 8:34).

Firstfruits-See Leviticus 23:9-14. The word is used figuratively in the
New Testament for the first converts in an area (Romans 16:5) and the
first to rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). In Revelation
believers are considered as a choice offering to God and the Lamb.
Firstfruit generally refers to JESUS.

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

14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Everlasting gospel means the content of this "good news" us perhaps found
in Revelation 14:7. Angels are given the task of preaching at this point.

14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the
hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountain of waters.

14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallem that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of
the wrath of her fornication.

Ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia was the political, commerical, and
religious center of a world empire. It was noted for its luxury and moral
decadence. The title "that great city" is taken from Daniel 4:30.
According to some, it is used in Revelation for Rome as the center of
opposition to God and His people. Others say it represents the whole
political and religious system of the world in general. Many today
consider NEW YORK CITY the greatest probability. According to still
others, it is to be understood as literal Babylon-rebuilt and restored
since it fell in Isaiah 21:9 and Jeremiah 51:8. The END TIME "MYSTERY"
Whore of Babylon is also referred to in Jeremiah 51 and many other
chapters:

Wine of the wrath of her fornication refers to Babylon being pictured as
a prostitute whose illict relations are achieved by intoxication.

14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in is hand.

14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall
be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels,
and in the presence of the Lamb:

The cup of his indignation means in the Old Testament God's wrath is
commonly pictured as a cup of wine to be drunk (see Isaiah 51:17 and
Jeremiah 25:15). It is not the outworking of impersonal laws of
retribution, but the response of a righteous God to those who refuse His
love and grace.

Fire and brimstone refers back to Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a
rain of fire and brimstone in Genesis 19:24. Psalms 11:6 speaks of a
similar fate for the wicked. The figure occurs elsewhere in the Old
Testament and several times in the final chapters of Revelation.

14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and
they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Torment...forever and ever means in Revelation offers no support for the
doctrine of the annilhilation of the wicked.

14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me. Write, Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Blessed means here the beatitude mentioned in Matthew 5:10.

14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat
like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his
hand a sharp sickle.

Son of man-see Revelation 1:13.

Golden crown is a victory wreath of gold, see Revelation 2:10 for the
comparsion between a victory crown and the royal crown.

Sickle-is used by Israel to cut grain and was normally a flint or iron
blade attached to a curved shaft of wood or bone.

14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice
to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the
time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

Harvest of the earth symbolizes in a general way the coming judgment (see
Matthew 13:30, 40-42). Some interpret it refers to the ingathering of the
righteous Jews left at the return of Christ. (Perhaps some Gentiles will
be left alive too?)

14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
the earth was reaped.

14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is heaven, he also
having a sharp sickle.

14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over
fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the
earth; for her grapes are fully ripe,

Another angel...which had power over fire refers to the angel in
Revelation 8:3-5. Fire is commonly associated with judgment.

Sharp sickle suggests a smaller grape-knife with which the former cut the
clusters of grapes from the vine.

14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the
vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of
God.

Great winepress-It is a rock-hewn trough about eight feet square with a
channel leading to a lower and smaller trough. Grapes were thrown into
the upper vat and trampled with bare feet, The juice was collected in the
lower vat, At times mechanical pressure was added. The treading of grapes
was a common Old Testament figure for the execution of divine wrath.

14:20 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.

Without the city means bloodshed would defile the city.

A thousand and six hundred furlongs is the approixmate length of the Holy
Land from north to south. 1600 furlongs is 200 miles.

Introduction: Chapter 15

This is an introduction to the last of the three sevenfold series of
judgments-the plagues, or vials of wrath mentioned in Chapter 16.

15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels
having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having
the harps of God.

The victory over the beast is in Revelation 12:11.

15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of
the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty;
just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

The song of Moses goes back to Exodus 15, when it was sang on Sabbath
evenings in the synagogue to celebrate Israel's great deliverance from
Egypt.

The song of the Lamb refers to Psalms 22 as the risen Lord triumphed over
His enemies in securing spiritual deliverance for His followers.

15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only
art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee: for thy
judgments are made manifest.

Universal recognition of God is taught in both the Old and New
Testaments.

15:5 And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of
the testimony in heaven was opened:

The tabernacle of the testimony is the dwelling place of God during the
wilderness wandering of the Israelites in Exodus 40:34-35. It was so
named because the ancient tent contained the two tables of the testimony
Moses brought down from Mount Sinai.

15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven
plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts
girdled with golden girdles.

The golden girdle is symbolic of royal and priestly functions.

15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden
vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever.

15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from
his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven
plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Smoke symbolizes the power and glory of God.

16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven
angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
earth.

16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and
there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of
the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Vial- A vial is like a chemistry beaker, cereal bowl or a goblet. Each of
the angels dipped his goblet into the vial of God's wrath and casts it
forth on the earth.

Noisome and griveous sore-The boils and abcesses of the sixth Egyptian
plague in Exodus 9:9-11 and Job suffered in Job 2:7-8.

16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea, and it became
as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and
fountains of waters; and they became blood.

16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged this.

16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast
given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Given them blood to drink-Punishment is tailored to fit the crime. See
Isaiah 49:26.

16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The altar is personified.

16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was
given unto him to scorch men with fire.

Fire is often connected with judgment in Scripture. See Deuteronomy 28:22
and 2 Peter 3:7.

16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of
God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give
him glory.

The heat must be 140-150 degrees F or hotter in this time. The record
temperature of all time is 136 degrees F in Libya in 1922. The heat index
would be 170-180 degrees or hotter and causes heat exhaustation,
sunstroke, and death. If they have asthma, it will be miserable for them.

The nations were dazzled into homage by the great earthquake, but here
they curse the name of God.

16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;
and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for
pain.

The seat of the beast is Satan's throne.

16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, and repented not of their deeds.

God of heaven was Daniel 2:44 of the sovereign God, who destroys the
kingdoms of the world and estabishes His universal and eternal reign.

16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings
of the east might be prepared.

The Euphrates river is now 1700 miles long of land due to it drying up.
The range of the river is Assyria and Babylon to Israel. Some Parthian
rulers are to be distingushed as the kings of the earth in Revelation
16:14 who wage the final war against Christ and the armies of heaven in
Revelation 19:11-21.

16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of
the false prophet.

Frogs are classified as an unclean animal in Leviticus 11:10. This
imagery suggests the deceptive propaganda that will, in the last days,
lead people to accept and support the cause of the evil.

16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go
forth and of the whole word, to gather them to the battle of that great
day of God Almighty.

The great day of God will be discussed more in Revelation 19:11-21.

16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth
his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Jesus speaks this beatitude to us. It is red lettered if you have a red
lettered New Testament.

16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
Armageddon.

Armagedon probably stands for Har Mageddon meaning the mountain of
Megiddo in Judges 5;19. Many see no specific geographic reference in the
designation and take it as a symbol of the final overthrow of evil by
God. However, the city of Megiddo strategically overlooks the Jezreel
Valley where the final battle will be fought. It takes its name from this
city and the mound upon which it is built thus providing us (the reader)
with a specific location for this conflict. (NOW people are discovering
scriputural evidence Jesus will fight this battle at BOZRAH - same as
PETRA, where the JEWISH REMNANT has fled and hidden, and that the
winepress of the blood runs CLEAR TO the Valley of MEGIDDO, and the
number of furlongs or miles mentioned in the Bible FITS THIS SCENARIO
PERFECTLY!!--"Cheyenne Cin")

16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there
came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,
It is done.

16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was
a great earthquake, such as was not since man were upon the earth, so
mighty an earthquake , and so great.

The greatest earthquake on the Ritcher scale was in May 21-30, 1960, in
Southern Chile which measured 9.5. This one will be 10.0 or higher.

16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of
the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to
give unto her the cup of the fierceness of his wrath.

16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

16:21 And there fell upon man a great hail out of heaven, every stone
about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the
plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The hail plague was in Egypt somewhere in the book of Exodus, but a
talent of hail will weigh seventy-five to one hundred pounds.

From:	<leeandcindy@juno.com>
Reply To:	prophecycenter4@yahoogroups.com
To:	<prophecycenter4@yahoogroups.com>
Subject:	[prophecycenter4] Revelation 12:1-16:21
Date:	Wed, 15 Jan 2003 15:07:42 -0700