Revelation 16 The Bowl Judgements

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

In the previous chapter we learned that the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Now God himself directs the out pouring of the final judgment upon the earth.

Verse 2.. And the first went, and poured out his bowl upon the earth; and there fell foul and evil sores upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and upon them who worshiped his image. 

Notice that people who have taken the mark of the beast are the ones afflicted with the painful sores. These sores don't go away. They would be similar to skin conditions caused by radiation fallout.

Verse 3.. And the second angel poured out his bowl upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living thing died in the sea. The blood of a corpse has no life in it. The blood of a living person is full of life. So the oceans of the earth will become polluted and unable to support life.

Verse 4.. And the third angel poured out his bowl upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. It doesn't say "blood of a corpse like in the previous verse, but one would draw that conclusion. Life giving water becomes toxic and polluted; unable to sustain and refresh.

Verse 5.. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, "Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. Verse 6.. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!"  These people that have accepted the mark of the beast are the same ones who approved the slaughter of believers earlier during the tribulation period. So the righteousness of God is declared in that they are given blood to drink.

Verse 7.. And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!"

Verse 8.. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. Verse 9.. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. 

They did not repent and give God glory. Earlier in the tribulation period, the sun failed to light the earth for a time. Now it is scorching the earth. This cosmic anomaly  does not cause earth dwellers to repent or even give God glory. This judgment has come upon those who have completely abandoned any opportunity for a relationship with the creator!

Verse 10.. And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, Verse 11.. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. So the sun scorches the earth then goes dark. This resembles a super nova condition where a star heats up for a few days and increases in intensity and then dies out. Whatever it is, it doesn't cause people to repent.

Verse 12.. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and it's water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Apparently eastern armies will route up this valley in order to do battle against against the Lord.

Research released by NASA and the University of California has shown a major decrease in the volume of ground water reserves in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins. Turkey also has the ability to shut off the water supply downstream. The Ataturk Dam makes it possible to control the flow of the Euphrates. Though an agreement to let the water flow is in place, Turkey could decide to turn off the spigot at any time. This would in effect dry up the flow and allow a crossing for military troops and trucks.

Verse 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. Verse 14.. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Demons performing miracles is a recurring theme during the tribulation period. The people are eager for a miracle and are quick to believe a lie.

Verse 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. This seems like a warning and an encouragement interjected here by the Lord. In Luke 21:36 Jesus says watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these thing that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. So it is like the Lord reaching out to the reader and encouraging him. You don't have to experience this great tribulation.  Others believe that it is a warning not to participate in this final battle. 

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

Revelation 14:20 says.. And the wine press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. From Mageddo to Edom is a thousand and six hundred furlongs or 176 miles. 

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

Verse 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 wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

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

Verse 21.. And there fell upon men 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 whole topography of the earth will be changed. Islands will be no more. Mountains will be leveled. This will not be an isolated earthquake like we see in different areas. This great quake will shake the entire earth. These hail stones will weigh in at about 75 to 100 pounds. Hurling through the air at 100 plus miles an hour; you can imagine the damage they will do.

Revelation 17 Judgement of the Harlot and the Beast

In Revelation 17, we get specific details concerning the judgement of the great harlot and the beast. The previous bowl judgments were aimed squarely at the beast and his kingdom. Now we get details about the judgement and who this mystery woman is.

17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters.

Revelation 17:18 says the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth. So the woman is the great city. 

In Revelation 16:19 the great city is split into three parts. In Revelation 11:8 the dead bodies of the two prophets lie in the street of the great city that is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. We know that the Lord was crucified in Jerusalem. Sitting on many waters speaks of authority. Revelation 17:15 says "the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." So the harlot exercises authority over the peoples, multitudes and nations of the earth. 

Revelation 13:1 says "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea." So the sea or the "waters" are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues. They bring forth the beast / system of government. The woman sits on the waters or exercises authority over the beast / system of government, peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.

17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been make drunk with the wine of her fornication.

17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold an precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 

We don't have to imagine what this all means. We are now told what it means. 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell the the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

Revelation 13:3 tells us that the beast was wounded unto death and that the deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. So, the beast/antichrist system will come back to life and the harlot will be at the reigns controlling it. Remember the harlot is the great city. The center of commerce and trade and religion. All goods and services will be provided through this center of commerce. Without the mark of the beast, it will be impossible to participate in this system.

17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Seven mountains as a designation for Rome is verified in ancient literature. But the seven mountains are also seven kings. So one could conclude that this final beast government is similar to that of ancient Rome but it's seat of power or the "great city" of Revelation 16:19 isn't necessarily Rome. The woman and the world economy "sit" on the seven heads which indicates that they control them. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. This means that there are seven beast kings and one of them will serve twice. How he serves twice is not clear. But if the dragon is involved, it will certainly include some sort of sorcery or deceptive trickery.

So, the beast could be one of the five previous Roman emperors prior to the writing of the book of Revelation by John. Of the seven of the major Roman emperors, the one that comes closest to fitting this description is Caesar Nero whose name numerically in Hebrew totals to six hundred and sixty-six. By June in A.D. 68, the emperor Nero had managed to alienate virtually every sector of Roman society because of his cruelty and incompetence. The Senate, the army and the people of Rome had enough, and without support from any quarter, the senate declared the emperor an outlaw. Unwilling to face the harsh Roman justice awaiting him, Nero ordered a servant to kill him.

Nero was called by the early church the beast. Quite apparent that he was possessed by demonic spirits. The things that he did could only be done by a mind perverted by Satan. The horrible atrocities that this man brought against the Christian church could only be done by a mind that was totally deranged by demonic forces. Domitian was sitting on the throne at the time of John's writing.

This eighth beast king is also represented by the little horn of Daniel which resembles the beast description of Revelation 13.

Daniel 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. Compare to the beast of Revelation 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 or time and times and the dividing of time or 3 1/2 years. 

17:12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

These ten horns are probably different from the ten horns of Daniel 7:20. The little horn which comes up among the ten does look like the Antichrist though. The horns of Revelation 17:12 continue with the Antichrist for a definite period of time "one hour". They have no kingdom but receive power as kings. They are probably enlisted by Antichrist to make war with the Lamb. They will probably aid with resources and financial support required to wage such a war.

The ten horns of Daniel 7 could be countries, world powers, etc. The little horn subdues 3 and eleven become eight. Eight world powers with ten CEOs, so to speak.

17:15 And he said unto me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Where the harlot sits indicates authority. The woman exercises power over multitudes, nations, and tongues.

17:16 And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17:17 For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 17:18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.

The ten horns hate the harlot. 17:18 tells us that the harlot is the great city. It is the center of commerce and trade which reigns over the kings of the earth. Are the ten horns or ten CEOs of the beast kingdom made up of radical Islamic elements? Oil rich with plenty of cash, these would be able to aid Antichrist with resources and financial support. At the same time they are bent on destroying capitalism and the world economic system as we know it and replacing it with a Sharia system of government. Remember 9/11. This attack was aimed squarely at the world trade center.

Revelation 18 Mystery Babylon

18:1.. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was made bright with his glory. 18:2.. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the haunt of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

In Revelation 17:5 it says... And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. So this mystery city, the harlot, has come to the lowest of lows. It is fallen and the degree of the fall is emphasized by repeating "is fallen". Demonic activity, a lair for every foul spirit, a hangout for every unclean and hateful individual. Mystery, Babylon indicates that literal Babylon is not necessarily the intended reference. The activity in the city does resemble that of ancient Babylon, only worse.

Revelation 17:6 says... And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:

In Matthew 23:37 Jesus says... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is lift unto you desolate. There is no indication that this mystery Babylon is not Jerusalem. If this is the case, we would expect to see a shift in the center of world power and commerce to Jerusalem.

18:3.. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through the abundance of her luxury. The harlot city convinces the world to put it's trust in the beast. If the harlot city is the center of commerce and trade, then it controls the world economy. What better way to convince the world to trust in the beast than to have the capacity to cancel or grant participation of buying and selling.

18:4.. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. So those that are trusting in the Lord are instructed to leave the city. They are not to receive of her plagues.

18:5.. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 18:6.. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she has filled, fill to her double.

18:7.. So much as she has glorified herself, and lived luxuriously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 18:8.. Therefore her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. The amount of time it takes to destroy the city is contrasted by the boast, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

18:9.. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. So the kings who hated her are now bewailing her. Probably because they are getting a glimpse of their own fate. 18:10.. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is your judgment come. 18:11.. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more:

18:12.. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all citron wood, and all manner of vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of most precious wood, and of bronze, and iron, and marble, 18:13.. And cinnamon, and incense, and myrrh, and frankincense, and wine, oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and slaves, and souls of men.

18:14.. And the fruits that your soul lusted after are departed from you, and all things which were luxurious and splendid are departed from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 18:15.. The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 18:16.. And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! The woman sitting on the beast in chapter 17 was arrayed in purple, a sign of royalty.

18:17.. For in one hour such great riches is come to nothing. And every shipmaster, and all seafarers, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18:18.. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

18:19.. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which we were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her wealth! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Now quite a different response from the saints, heaven, apostles and prophets.

18:20.. Rejoice over her, you heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her. 18:21.. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

18:22.. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of flutists, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in you; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he may be, shall be found any more in you; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in you; 18:23.. And the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in you; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in you: for your merchants were the great men of the earth: for by your sorceries were all nations deceived. 18:24.. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Through her sorcery and deception, she caused people to accept the mark of the beast. She is responsible for the death of the prophets and saints and of all that were slain upon the earth. Her destruction is complete and ever lasting.

Revelation 19 A Righteous God

In chapter 19, God will deal with the beast, the false prophet, and the armies of the world system. He has already judged the harlot/whore.

Verse 1... And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: Verse 2.. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

(PC) All the way through we have had this affirmation that the judgments of God are true and righteous. And I think that this has been declared all the way through, because this is one of the areas that Satan constantly challenges concerning God, the fairness of God's judgments when he deals and meats out His judgments upon man. There are always those who are ready to challenge the fairness of it. There are always those that say, "What about the people that haven't heard? What about little babies?" and so forth. God is going to be fair and just. This is the declaration that is made all through the period of judgment, "true and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord".

The concept that Satan brought to Eve in the Garden of Eden was that God was not fair, that God was trying to hold her back from something that was beneficial, that God was somehow trying to protect Himself. He had His own self interest at heart when He told Eve not to eat of the tree. That God is holding back something good and He really isn't fair to you was the insinuation behind Satan's remarks. All the way along the fairness of God's judgment has been challenged.

I don't know what God is going to do in a lot of cases. I do know that whatever He does will be absolutely fair. "True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord." Never worry about the righteousness of God's judgments. You can be worried about the righteousness of my judgments. I sometimes make snap judgments. I sometimes judge without having all the facts in hand, and so my judgments are often wrong. And I have to apologize sometimes for my judgments. That is something that God will never have to do, apologize. It will never happen. "True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord."

Verse 3.. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. Verse 4.. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

Verse 5.. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" Verse 6.. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

Verse 7... Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. " And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

(PC) Now the Lord in the end here is really putting a lot of emphasis upon the fact that these are true sayings. Over and over we will find this repeated as we approach the end of the book, these are the true sayings of God. You can believe this. You can trust in this that these are the true sayings of God.

It is interesting to me how that God took such pains to protect the innocence of Jesus Christ at the crucifixion. Judas returned the money to the priests saying, "I betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). Pilate said, "I find no fault in Him. I have examined Him. I find no fault in Him" (Luke 23:14). The thief said, "We are here because we deserve to be here, but this man has done nothing amiss"(Luke 23:41). God is making sure that you know that Jesus is innocent as He hangs there on the cross. It is not for His crime or guilt. It is for your sin that He is dying.

So we see the proper wedding garment is to be fine linen, clean and white. We are also told that the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Romans 3:21-22 says But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: And 3:25 Whom God hat set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26.. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. So the fine linen is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is imputed to us when we believe. When we trust in, when we rely upon, when we cling to Him!

In Matthew 22:11-14 it says... And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Apparently someone showed up without the fine linen which is the righteousness of saints or Christ in us and was escorted out from the marriage supper.

(PC) What is the righteousness of the saints? Paul, the apostle said as he was recounting to the Philippians his past credits as a Jew, "Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the seventh day, the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church", but he said, "Those things that were gain to me", those credits that I had, those brownie points, "I counted loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, for whom I suffer the loss of all things and count them but refuse that I may know Him and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which was of the Law", circumcised seventh, eighth day and so forth, not having that righteousness which was of the law, "but now having the righteousness which was of Christ through faith" (Philippians 3:5-9).

So, it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is imparted to me through my faith in Jesus Christ. God accounts my faith for righteousness. So, I will be clothed in linen, pure and white and clean. And the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. That righteousness that God puts on my account because I believe in Jesus Christ. So it is imputed righteousness given to you by your faith in Christ. It is not a righteousness of works. It isn't that you have been faithful in your devotions, and you have witnessed to so many people, and read so many chapters of the Bible, and spent so many hours in prayer, and you have done all of the religious devotional things, not that at all. I am accounted righteous by God because I believe and trust in Jesus Christ. There is the basis for my righteousness. That is good. If my righteousness were dependent upon my keeping the Law, or keeping rules or regulations—

Let's say that we said that every day you should be reading five chapters out of the Bible. Every day you should be spending twenty minutes on your knees in prayer. Every day you should witness to at least two people. Every day—and we set up these rules for righteousness. Then you may be very good all week long, and you put your little star behind each of the categories each evening. Yes, all my gold stars, but Friday you blow it and you didn't get your prayer time in. Too bad, your unrighteousness Friday night. Just hope the Lord doesn't come Friday night. You might get left. No. My righteousness is not on such a tenuous thing as my faithfulness to devotions or works or whatever. My righteousness is something God accounts and imputes to me because of my faith in Jesus Christ. Thank God.

Verse 10.. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. All of creation and history points to Jesus. The future is in His hands. So the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

(PC) Now, John like so many people, we want to worship the instrument that God uses to bring His knowledge or love or grace to us. One of the great dangers of being in any kind of ministry where God is using you, one of the great dangers of exercising any spiritual gift, is that people so often look at the instrument that God uses. They begin to admire the instrument. They begin to worship, in a sense, the instrument that God has used. And here is John falling on his knees before the angel that is giving him all of this revelation and he is so overawed and thrilled with what is in store for him he falls at his feet to worship him. And he says to him not to do that because he is a fellowservant, but to worship God.

(PC) You see it is a apart of man to need and want to worship something, and man seems to find it easier to worship an object that he can see rather than an object that he cannot see. And so this is the hang-up of man as Paul said in Romans one, "They worshipped and served the creature more than the creator." Man gets hung up and he stops short. He sees the glorious creation of God and he worships the creation, rather than the creator.

And so John is making the same mistake and the angel corrects him and says don't do that. I am a servant of God just like you are. You worship God. And if you are wise and involved in any kind of ministry at all when attention and adulation and these kinds of things come your way, you will be wise as the angel and say, "Don't worship me. Worship God." God doesn't want you taking credit for the work that He does, receiving glory for His work.

Verse 11... And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12.. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. A name that no man knew could mean that no one has power over him. Ancient magicians claimed that they could influence someone if they knew their name.

13.. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  14.. And the armies which were in heaven followed  him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15.. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16.. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

(PC) Now, this vesture dipped in blood is probably a reference to Isaiah sixty-three. It is not his own blood, but the blood of his enemies that he tramples as he tramples out the rebellious. Isaiah sixty-three says, "Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?" And that is the question the prophet asks and Jesus answers, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." The prophet asks, "Why are you red in your apparel, and your garments like those that have been treading in the wine vat?"

It used to be that they put the grapes in the vat and then they would crush them with their feet. They would have a big dance and party, as they would crush all of the grapes, they would get the juice out of them. And you could imagine the grape juice stains all over your clothes after having spent a day treading the wine vat therein. The wine vat actually with your feet pressing down all of these grapes, you can imagine what your clothes would look like.

"Why are you red in your apparel, and your garments like the ones that have been treading in the wine vat?" He answers, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in my anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come"(Isaiah 63:3-4).

(PC) So, He is coming to bring an end of man's rebellion. He is coming to trample the wine vat. There will be here upon the earth millions of people who have gathered together to war against Him at His coming. The whole Middle East area of Israel all the way through the land from the Valley of Megiddo clear on down to Edom will be crowded with the vast armies of the world. They will probably number into the hundreds of millions. There is a scripture that would indicate maybe two hundred million.

And that is when the blood will flow to the horses bridle all the way through the Valley of Megiddo clear on down to Edom through the valley of Jehoshaphat as they gather together against the Lord and His anointed. And there will the second Psalm come into play. "Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing, for they have gathered together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break His bands asunder, let us cast off His law from us; but He who sits in the heavens will laugh for He will have the nations in derision."
And so here we see Him, clothed in a vesture dipped in blood. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword by which these rebellious armies are destroyed. That is He destroys them with His word.

Verse 17.. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

In Ezekiel it says that it will take 7 months just to bury the dead from a great slaughter. That is different from the slaughter of Revelation 19:17. The slaughter of Ezekiel 39 happens at the beginning of the tribulation period. The slaughter of Revelation 19:17 happens at the end of the tribulation period.

So now the end of the beast and the false prophet both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. The rest are prepared to be dinner for all the fowls. It doesn't say that they were cast into the lake of fire at this point. So their judgment is still future. This will happen at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ when death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Rev. 20:14