October 4 Morning Verse of the Day

PRAISE

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. (14:2–3)

Standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, the 144,000 will join in the heavenly song of redemption. With all the devastation they have seen, with all the trouble they have faced, with all the rejection, hostility, hatred, and persecution they have endured, one might expect them to be too sorrowful to sing (cf. Ps. 137:1–4). But instead they will joyously praise the Lord for their protection and triumph.
This is not the first time John heard a voice from heaven (cf. 4:1; 10:4, 8; 11:12; 12:10), nor will it be the last (cf. v. 13; 18:4; 19:1). The voice he heard was very loud and continuous, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Ezekiel 43:2 likens the voice of God to the sound of many waters, while Revelation 1:15 describes the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ in the same way. But since Revelation 19:6 uses both of those phrases to describe the voice of a heavenly multitude, it is best to understand them in that sense here.
The song began in 5:9–10, when the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders “sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’ ” The next to join in were myriads of angels, who began “saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing’ ” (5:12). Finally, “every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them [began] saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever’ ” (5:13). In 7:9–10, the Tribulation martyrs joined in the escalating chorus of praise: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ ”
The mighty voice was not mere noise; it had a musical quality, like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. The reference to harpists and harps suggests that the voice expressed not thunderous judgment but joy. Harps are frequently associated in the Old Testament with joyous praise (cf. 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chron. 13:8; 15:16, 28; 2 Chron. 5:12–13; Neh. 12:27; Pss. 33:2; 71:22; 144:9; 150:3). Heaven will resound with loud praise when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in triumph to establish His earthly kingdom.
The new song sung in heaven before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders is the song of redemption (cf. Pss. 33:1–3; 40:3; 96:1–2; 98:1–2; 144:9–10; 149:1; Isa. 42:10). The angels will join the Old Testament saints, the raptured church, and the redeemed Tribulation martyrs in praising God for salvation. While angels do not experience redemption, they do rejoice because of it (Luke 15:10). All heaven will overflow with praise because God’s redemptive work culminating in the return of Christ is accomplished.
Heaven’s praise overflows to earth, where the new song is taken up. John notes that no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. The unregenerate cannot, of course, sing the song of redemption; it is only for the redeemed, those purchased by Christ’s blood. Why the song is restricted to the one hundred and forty-four thousand is not stated, but Henry Morris has offered a possible explanation:

Although the words of the song of the 144,000 are not recorded, it surely dwells in part at least on the great truth that they had been “redeemed from the earth.” Although in one sense all saved people have been redeemed from the earth, these could know the meaning of such a theme in a more profound way than others. They had been saved after the rapture, at that time in history when man’s greatest persecutions and God’s greatest judgments were on the earth. It was at such a time that they, like Noah (Genesis 6:8), had “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” and had been separated from “all that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 13:8). Not only had they been redeemed spiritually but, precursively as it were, they had been redeemed from the very curse on the earth (Genesis 3:17), being protected from pain and death by the guarding seal. (The Revelation Record [Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale, 1983], 260)

The 144,000 will join with the heavenly chorus in praising God for His marvelous work of redemption. Some of the lyrics of their song may be found in 15:3–4:

And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

A mark of triumphant Christian living in any era is constant praise to God. The 144,000 no doubt praised God throughout their time of trial and persecution. Because their ordeal is over and they are victorious, they will burst forth in praise to God for their deliverance. Joy is the proper outflow of a heart that trusts in God’s sovereign power (Phil. 3:1; 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:13).

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2000). Revelation 12–22 (pp. 74–76). Moody Press.

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2. And I heard a sound out of heaven like a sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the sound that I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
   John first saw the Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion, and then he heard a sound coming to him out of heaven. His eye is fixed on a representative place on earth, while his ear is attuned to a sound in heaven. He fails to identify the speaker, which is common in the Apocalypse (see v. 13; 10:4, 8; 18:4). He describes the characteristics of the sound by giving comparisons taken from nature. He compares the sound with that of many waters, which is similar to the voice of Jesus addressing John on the island of Patmos: “his voice was like the sound of many waters” (1:15; 19:6; Ezek. 43:2). It is also like the sound of loud thunder, which indicates that the speaker calls everyone to pay attention (see 6:1).
   In addition to the thundering loud noises heard in nature, the sound is like soft music coming from celestial harpists playing their harps (5:8; and see 15:2). John hears heavenly music entering his ears, first thunderous then soft and pleasing. It is comparable to an orchestra and choir that increase or decrease their volume at the command of the director. The sound is grand and gentle, lofty and lovely. John is privileged to hear this celestial music while he is on earth.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 402). Baker Book House.

Beast System Rising | Study – Grow – Know

Beast System Rising

I wrote about data centers previously [1], but I’d like to expand on that in this article. There are approximately 3,680 data centers in the United States currently, with many more on the way. Data centers can and are being used for surveillance and ultimately to surveil society and create social credit scores for every individual. These have long been in use in China to create a society that is constantly surveilled and assigned a credit score of between 350-950.[2] The higher the score, the more perks you are allowed. Of course, to obtain that higher score, you must play by the rules and those rules are set by oligarchs and overlords of China itself.

In the state of Georgia alone, many data centers already exist and more are under construction. The image shown is where a number of them are actually fully under construction or completed.

I have driven passed the area shown and I can assure you, the data centers are huge and in various stages of completion. In fact, it’s very reminiscent of a city within a city. There are thousands of construction workers, tons of material, and plenty of construction equipment on site. Data Center #1 is already completed (bottom of image), and has been turned over to the customer. The others are in various stages of completion with a total of 10 of them to be completed in that area of the image. There are probably 500 acres in use here for these data centers.

But what is a data center and what is its purpose? Most importantly, how will these data centers be used once completed? AI provides the answer for us.

Data centers can serve as a foundational infrastructure for surveillance and social credit systems by centralizing vast amounts of data collected from various sources. In China, the Social Credit System relies on a network of data centers to aggregate and analyze information from financial records, public behavior, and commercial activities to assess trustworthiness, although the system does not operate as a single, nationwide “score” for individuals as often misrepresented. The system uses data platforms to manage, monitor, and predict the trustworthiness of citizens and organizations, with the aim of influencing access to services like education and travel through a punishment/reward mechanism based on credit scores.[3; emphasis added]

Here is more information regarding data centers.

The demand for data centers in the United States is at an all-time high in 2025, driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and enterprise storage solutions. As businesses increase their reliance on digital infrastructure, the need for data centers to support these operations continues to grow. The digital transformation of industries, the rise of remote work, and the increasing adoption of AI-powered applications are pushing organizations to invest in cloud-based solutions, leading to a surge in data center construction.[4]

Who is behind the construction of these data centers?

Major tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta, are investing billions in large-scale projects to ensure their networks can handle the increasing data demands. The hyperscale data center market is experiencing exponential growth as companies focus on expanding their infrastructure to keep up with the unprecedented rise in data consumption. These facilities not only store vast amounts of digital information but also serve as the backbone for AI model training, real-time data processing, and global cloud services.[5; emphasis added]

Without data centers, China would never have been able to create a workable social credit score for their society because a huge amount of data needs to be received, stored and processed in real time. Ultimately, while the data centers being created in the US are supposed to follow federal guidelines for privacy and consumer laws, the question is who is watching them to ensure we maintain our privacy? Who is keeping track of the data that’s not only collected but ultimately, used by these data centers?

AI also notes the following about data centers and please notice the wording used by AI to downplay the “conspiracy” view that data centers are created for the purpose of surveillance and social credit scoring systems.

Data centers in the U.S. are not inherently designed for surveillance or determining credit scores, but they can play a supporting role in both areas depending on how the stored data is used.[6]

Okay, you say pa-tay-to and I say pa-tah-to, but the people with all the money can say with a straight face that data centers are not created for the purposes of surveillance and creating a social credit score system, while at the same time, they can be easily used for those two things with ease. Does this concern you? It should.

This is all part of the coming beast system spoken of in Scripture and that has never been more clear to me than now because of all the data centers that exist or are currently being built in the United States and throughout the world. Ultimately, this coming “beast” system is being built right in front of our noses, right out in the open and there is nothing we can do about it. Data centers create many jobs, put money into the economy and allow people to buy homes and provide for their families. The fascinating thing is that the people who are employed by the companies building or ultimately working at these data center behemoths are paid well. They love the companies because those companies treat them well with higher pay and perks. Why would they not like and appreciate that situation?

So folks can fight the coming of data centers, but they will ultimately lose. In a way, the construction of these data centers is green lit because of the positive impact on the economy and in reality, these data centers are impervious to an economic downturn. In other words, they will continue to move forward in construction so anyone working at any data center job site will continue to have work for numerous years ahead. Once these data centers come online, it’s not difficult to imagine that through AI, they will “talk” to one another, compare notes and make conclusions based on all the information fed into them. Don’t forget if you use the “cloud,” your information is already being logged and duly noted. Ultimately, that means it’ll be used against you.

I’ve long thought that the final world kingdom as described in the Bible (Daniel 2; 7; Revelation 19, etc.) has two components. It is a system and ruled by one person; the Antichrist. Just as Babylon was a system/kingdom ruled over by Nebuchadnezzar (and successive kingdoms of Daniel 2 had essentially the same make up to them), the very last kingdom of this world prior to the physical return of Jesus will be a kingdom/system ruled over by one man – the man of lawlessness – as highlighted by Paul (2 Thessalonians 2).

Of course, opinions about this final beast system run the gamut and the allegorical interpretations are almost comical in some ways. I was scanning through some links today about this final beast system and it amazes me how many people think the book of Revelation is to be taken allegorically. For instance, this individual on Reddit responded to a person’s question about Revelation and the mark of the beast.

Book of Revelation was not predicting some future event with anti-Christ and Jesus locked in some epic battle. The numbers, the beast, and the antichrist are metaphors for the Roman Empire and the emperor. It’s was vailed language to get a message to late first century Christians and offer them hope in the face of perceived hardship. It’s a specific genre of ancient literature called apocalypticism.[7]

The above person is abundantly incorrect on numerous points. He/she is simply allegorizing the Scripture because it’s their preferred approach to difficult passages in the Bible. Granted, what John the apostle saw is very difficult for us to actually know, and he did his best to explain to readers what he saw, but I can state without equivocation that whatever John saw in the visions God provided have only one meaning and that meaning is ultimately a literal meaning. It might be difficult for us to get there, so we need to be extremely cautious in our conclusions. I think it is safe to say though that since the first three kingdoms of Daniel 2 were kingdoms with a person as ruler, this final kingdom yet in the future will be of that type as well.

Allegorical meanings can have several meanings and mean different things to different people. Is that the way God speaks to us in His Word? No, He always intends one meaning. While some things might be difficult for us to figure out, it is incumbent upon us to determine what God means, not what we might be comfortable in thinking He means.

I’ve gone over this many times in previously written articles, but it seems extremely clear to me that there are four major kingdoms (from Daniel 2), that lead up to the physical return of Jesus. The fourth kingdom, which most biblical scholars believe to be the Roman Empire ultimately rises again in the end times/latter days, but becomes something even far more destructive than the old Roman Empire was known for being. They call it the Revived/Revised Roman Empire.

This coming final kingdom or beast system is described in Revelation 17. There, we learn that it has seven heads and ten horns. As John continues watching the vision unfold before his eyes, he is ultimately given the interpretation though it probably did not answer all of his questions. Why? Because ultimately, this final kingdom was not for his time but for our time.

Notice Revelation 17:9 starts out with, “Here is the mind which has wisdom.” In other words, understanding all of this requires wisdom and it is very likely that there would be many who would incorrectly identify the seven heads, as just one example. Some argue the seven heads are seven Roman emperors. Others say it’s referencing the seven hills of Rome. Then there are those who delve into the non-literal interpretations that arrive to almost ridiculous or annoying conclusions.

As Dr. Thomas Constable notes, the text is always its best interpreter. He believes, as it states in Revelation 17:10, the seven heads are seven kings. So, these seven kings also represent seven empires. Of course, as can be expected, these seven heads/kings and their identities are not agreed upon even by conservative Bible scholars. It’s very possible that these kings/heads are Rome, with five coming before Rome, which could very well include:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Persia
5. Greece

Rome is the sixth and the seventh kingdom was still to come from John’s perspective (and ours), and that is the king/head that I believe we are seeing being built now through all the data centers being constructed and will ultimately be used to digitally imprison global society. I also believe once this system is up and running (the beast system), Antichrist will step into his position as ruler over all of it.

Another main point of this though is that the woman rides this final beast (system) so while she is not one of the kings, she exercises authority over them. The system (harlot) is so adored and valued by the 10 horns (kings or rulers still upcoming), that they use that system to their advantage until they no longer need it (her; cf. Revelation 18).

When Antichrist rises, he is described in v11; the eighth head or king establishing a global empire, but ultimately goes to perdition (the Lake of Fire). This will occur at the physical return of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 20).

Meanwhile, these data centers are the absolute key to this final empire. Without them, the Antichrist could do little to nothing and he certainly could not have the sway he needs to have over all society.

I recently met a person who works at the data center and drives a bus, carting construction workers to and from the construction site to the parking lots. She raved about the company. She loves working there. She enjoys the pay she receives and she tells how well the company treats her and the other employees. I’ve also met some of the construction workers and they all seem genuinely happy because they know they have jobs for a number of years.

None of them realize, I’m sure, that they have a large hand in building this beast system that will ultimately control their lives. When it gets to that point, they probably won’t care much and they’ll do like most people in China. They will simply go along with the program in order to achieve and maintain a high social credit score allowing them to buy what they want, travel where they want and in general, live lives they enjoy living.

Just a few years ago, it was difficult to gain an accurate picture of how the final global system would come into existence. Now, with the construction of so many data centers, it has become far easier to see just how the beast system is taking shape. I’m quite certain the Antichrist is alive now, waiting for the right moment to rise to the top and take charge. Of course, the ten “kings” need to rise first and I expect once enough data centers have been completed and are up and running, they’ll finally step out of the shadows and take their place as rulers. Once this happens, Antichrist will rise up, take out three of them and gain supremacy. How and why? Because he will be fully empowered by Satan.

It’s probably only a few years away before things really begin to fall into place and take shape. But based on what I’m seeing, it seems quite certain to happen. In the meantime, believers need to not only get and remain close to our Lord, but grow in our relationship with other believers.

[1] https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/08/05/much-ado-about-prophetic-events/

[2] https://time.com/collection/davos-2019/5502592/china-social-credit-score/

[3] https://search.brave.com/search?q=can+data+centers+be+used+for+surveillance+and+social+credit+scores%3F&summary=1&conversation=d452b5adfa20708380709e

[4] https://propertymanagerinsider.com/2025-data-center-construction/

[5] Ibid

[6] https://search.brave.com/search?q=will+data+centers+in+the+us+be+used+for+surveillance+and+credit+scores%3F&summary=1&conversation=053d3706e028e7b4694322

[7] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskBibleScholars/comments/1jejqro/beast_system/

Beginning to Come to Pass :: By Daymond Duck

Editor’s Note: Daymond’s computer is out of commission, so there will not be a new article by Daymond this week. However, the following is an excerpt from a May 2023 article he wrote concerning Tribulation Period events that are beginning to show up:

The Book of Revelation begins with these words, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (Rev. 1:1-2).

The Book of Revelation is:

• The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
• A list of things to show God’s servants.
• A list of things that MUST happen.
• A list of things that MUST happen shortly (in God’s timing).
• A list of things that an angel showed to John.
• The Book of Revelation is the Word of God.
• It is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Here are five major signs in Revelation chapter 13 that MUST come to pass during the Tribulation Period:

One, a global power MUST come into being.

• 13:7 says, “Power was given him [to the Antichrist] over ALL kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
• An unelected person MUST be given power over all nations.
• This is the New World Order; the Great Reset; the coming world government.

Two, a global false religion MUST come into being.

• 13:8 says, “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.”
• Every lost person MUST worship the Antichrist.
• This appears to be where the unbiblical global ethic is going (the LGBTQ agenda, the woke culture, abortion, etc.); the coming world religion; Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.

Three, there MUST be a Global Population Reduction.

• 13:15 says, “And he [the False Prophet] had power to give life unto the image of the beast [a statue of the Antichrist], that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
• This appears to be AI (Artificial Intelligence); a computerized talking statue that will reduce the population of the earth by ordering the death of ALL that refuse to obey their government and worship an idol.

Four, there MUST be a Global Marking System.

• 13:16 says, “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.”
• There MUST be a global Mark that identifies (IDs) the lost supporters of world government.
• This is probably where face scans and hand scans are going.
• The desire for a Mark to identify everyone that has been vaccinated appears to be a step in this direction.

Five, there MUST be a Global Economic System.

• 13:17 says, “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.”
• ALL must take the Mark, or they cannot buy and sell.
• Everyone MUST be required to support the government if they want to buy and sell.
• Replacing cash with a digital currency is the ultimate goal.

In Dan. Chapter 4, we read that God caused King Nebuchadnezzar to lose his mind.

• His hair grew like feathers.
• His nails grew like claws.
• He crawled around in a pasture like an animal on all fours.
• He grazed grass like an animal.
• His body stayed wet from the dew.
• This lasted for 7 years.

Why? So “the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32).

So, the living will know that:

• God is in control.
• God raises up leaders.
• God brings down leaders.
• God puts the leader He wants in charge.
• God even puts bad leaders in charge.

In response to a question about His Second Coming and the end of the age, Jesus said, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

As the end of the age nears, there will be a generation that can see the signs beginning to come to pass (Matt. 24:32-33).

Our generation is seeing the five major signs in Revelation chapter 13 beginning to come to pass.

It is not a coincidence that these five major signs are shaping up.

It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ beginning to come to pass.

 

The post Beginning to Come to Pass :: By Daymond Duck appeared first on Rapture Ready.

Source: Beginning to Come to Pass :: By Daymond Duck

Godless Statism – And God’s Response | CultureWatch

Godless Statism – And God’s Response

We keep soldiering on, even as things get worse:

By way of introduction, imagine two very contrasting reactions to the same situation. Scenario one: You are a rabid sports fan and a die-hard supporter of a particular team, and they are playing a crucial game. You might be watching it on TV, and you are on the edge of your seat throughout. The pressure can be unbearable, especially when it seems that your side is losing. Indeed, you might need to look away at times, since it is looking so very grim and discouraging.

Scenario two: You are now watching the same game – but on replay. You KNOW the outcome: your team has won! Now you can sit back and watch the game, fully relaxed. You are not worried at all. You do not have knots in your stomach. You are not sweating profusely. Because you know your side has been victorious, it is quite an enjoyable experience.

That is about how Christians can look at the world and what is happening all around them. On the one hand, these are very dark and frightful times. We can greatly fear what tomorrow might bring. It seems that evil is winning everywhere, and there are fewer and fewer folks who stand for righteousness and godliness.

But on the other hand, we have been told by our Lord how things will pan out – and we win! Sure, all the fine details can be unclear, and we do not know exactly when Christ will return, but we do know that one day all evil will be defeated, and Christ will fully reign and rule. As we pray, ‘your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10).

We can debate many of the details found there, but the book of Revelation is all about God’s victory. “He wins” is the shorthand version of what the book is all about. Let me look at two portions of this book, and offer some comments from others. Many commentators can be utilised here, but I will restrict myself to just two of them.

If Romans 13 tells us about God’s plan for the state, Rev. 13 tells us about Satan’s. There we read about the two beasts. Thomas Schreiner in his recent commentary (BECNT, 2023), says this about the second beast and the ungodly state:

The message of the second beast … is not that one should live and let live, that those who aren’t inclined to worship the first beast will be left alone. The message coming from the second beast is that all must worship the first beast and its image (cf. 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Coercion, compulsion, and totalitarianism are the order of the day, and those who refuse to submit and to give their allegiance to the beast will be put to death. The Roman Empire and all totalitarian regimes that follow it are despotic and authoritarian, leaving no space for the conscience and convictions of the individual. The power of the state runs roughshod over the devotion to God and to the Lamb that marks out the redeemed. We are reminded again of Dan. 3, where Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image requiring all people everywhere to fall down and worship the image and those who failed to conform would be killed (3:6). . . . Whatever the historical particulars, the totalizing and repressive nature of the state surfaces.

And J. Scott Duvall (Teach the Text, 2014), says this about the Christian and the state:

Revelation 13 and Romans 13 have often been compared when thinking about the relationship between the Christian and the state. The apostle Paul reminds us that God created human government and “there is no authority except that which God has established” (Rom. 13:1; cf. Dan. 4:17, 25, 32; John 19:11). When operating properly under divine authority, the state upholds law and order and serves as an instrument of justice (Rom. 13:4). But human institutions may be hijacked for evil purposes, and such is the case in Revelation 13. Satan sometimes works through secular power systems and the wicked individuals who rule those systems. When the state turns tyrannical and demands unconditional allegiance, Christians have no choice but to “obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). John Stott identifies the theological principle at work: “We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God. But if the state commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our plain Christian duty is to resist, not to submit, to disobey the state in order to obey God.”

That and other portions of Revelation give us the bad news. There is an evil world system that so often manifests itself in wicked government, evil systems of trade and commerce, and in the cultural and social patterns of an ungodly culture. Such ungodliness and unrighteousness in ruling political and social structures are often at war with the purposes and plans of God – and God’s people.

Revelation: (A Paragraph-by-Paragraph Exegetical Evangelical Bible Commentary – BECNT) (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Thomas R. Schreiner (Author), Yarbrough, Robert W. (Series Editor), Jipp, Joshua (Series Editor)

But the good news is that all this eventually comes to an end. It will not go on forever. Babylon (the demonised state) will face God’s just judgment, and godly rule will extend over all the earth. So chapters like Rev. 18 give us some of this terrific news. It is what we can rejoice in. Schreiner is again worth quoting from:

The wanton shedding of blood by Babylon raises the question of justice, whether Babylon will face consequences for her actions. God will avenge the lives of his servants that have been extinguished because of Babylon’s rage. In context, the fall of Babylon calls for rejoicing, and John draws on biblical tradition as well. Moses declares in Deut. 32:43, “Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries”. The peoples of the world are summoned to be glad at the display of God’s justice. The Lord declares to Jehu, who is the agent of vengeance on Baal worship in Israel, “You will avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord” (2 Kings 9:7). The psalmist expresses the same notion: “Let your vengeance for the blood of your servants which has been shed be known among the nations who are before our eyes” (Ps. 79:10). Those who know God rejoice when injustices are addressed, when those who have abused others are repaid for the evil wrought. We have an answer here to the prayer of the martyrs in Rev. 6:10 who ask the Lord to avenge their blood.

And Scott says this about exulting in the downfall of evil:

There have been times when God has dramatically defeated the enemies of his covenant people, resulting in praise and rejoicing. After the Lord rescues Israel from the pursuing Egyptians, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God (Exod. 15:1–21; cf. Deut. 32:43). Speaking of God’s coming judgment against ancient Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah speaks words echoed years later in Revelation 18–19: “For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, … Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon” (Jer. 51:47–49). In other words, there are times when the most appropriate response to God’s judgment of evil is rejoicing.

He goes on to offer a few words to keep things in biblical balance:

While this passage conveys important truths about sin and judgment, a caution is first in order.

We should not confuse rejoicing over God’s judgment of evil powers with the suffering of sinners. The celebration comes because God’s justice has finally been administered, not because we seek revenge or delight in seeing deceived people suffer. We praise God because he is faithful to bring down evil rulers and kingdoms that have deceived the nations and ruthlessly oppressed his people. God has shown himself faithful and vindicated his people. For this, he deserves enthusiastic praise!

We must resist the temptation to join in the sins of Babylon: arrogance, deception, and murder. We have to be careful not to allow the luxury and power of any present-day Babylon to draw us into idolatry and immorality. Babylon deceives by promising life and happiness and prosperity, while delivering bondage and death. Her prideful rejection of God, her selfish misleading of humanity, and her uncompromising intolerance of those who confess Jesus as Lord should be enough warning, but God’s people still need to be commanded, “Come out of her, my people” (18:4). This passage presents a clear opportunity to help people come to grips with what they are really pursuing in life. Where do our loyalties and priorities lie? Joining in Babylon’s sins leads to certain judgment, a judgment that also includes the loss of good and wholesome things such as music, work, food, light, and marriage.

The righteous must continue to trust that God will bring justice on the earth. Most commentators see this passage linked in some way to God’s answer to the prayers of the martyred saints in 6:9-11. How long, 0 Lord? Answer: a little longer. But one day God will bring justice. One day God will answer. It’s reminiscent of Jesus’s conclusion to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” In the meantime, believers who are persecuted and oppressed continue to trust and pray and endure, knowing that God will one day vindicate his suffering people because he is true and just in character. We can rest assured that wicked tyrants will be brought to justice.

That we must do: keep praying and keep enduring. And keep working and keep seeking to serve Christ in an ever-darkening world. The evil tyrants of this world – even just the ungodly and corrupt leaders in Western democratic nations – will not always be with us.

We can seek to work against their bad policies and immoral agendas now, hoping to find some good outcomes in this fallen world. But we await the Parousia in which all wrongs will be judged and all goods rewarded. So in the meantime, we soldier on.

[1785 words]

The post Godless Statism – And God’s Response appeared first on CultureWatch.

May 7 Morning Verse of the Day

TOWARD THE THRONE

and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (4:8b–11)

Fittingly, the scene in heaven culminates in worship directed toward God on His throne. In this passage and in chapter 5 are five great hymns of praise, during the singing of which the size of the choir gradually increases. The hymns of praise begin in verse 8 with a quartet—the four living creatures. In verse 10, the twenty-four elders join in, and in 5:8, harps are added to the vocal praise. The rest of the angels add their voices in 5:11. Finally, in 5:13, all created beings in the universe join in the mighty chorus of praise to God. Worship is reserved for God alone, since there is no one in the universe like Him. In 1 Chronicles 17:20 David prayed, “O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You” (cf. Pss. 86:8–10; 89:6–8).
This mighty oratorio of praise and worship may be divided into two movements: the hymn of creation (chap. 4), and the hymn of redemption (chap. 5). The hymn of creation, the first movement, may be divided into several elements.
The four living creatures begin the oratorio of worship by focusing on God’s holiness; day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God.” The threefold repetition of holy is also found in Isaiah 6:3; holiness is the only one of God’s attributes so repeated, since it is the summation of all that He is. God’s holiness is His utter and complete separation from evil in any and every form. He is absolutely untainted by any evil, error, or wrongdoing—unlike angels (some of whom sinned) or humans (all of whom sinned). In 1 Samuel 2:2 Hannah declared, “There is no one holy like the Lord,” because He alone is “majestic in holiness” (Ex. 15:11). The prophet Habakkuk praised God because “[His] eyes are too pure to approve evil, and [He] can not look on wickedness with favor” (Hab. 1:13). “God sits on His holy throne,” declared the psalmist (Ps. 47:8), while Psalm 111:9 adds, “Holy and awesome is His name.” In 1 Peter 1:16, God Himself declared, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
But on this occasion, the praise is for God’s holiness specifically exhibited through judgment. Being holy, God hates sin, and pours out His wrath on it. “Will not His majesty terrify you?” Job asked his would-be counselors (Job 13:11). After God executed some of the men of Beth-shemesh for irreverently peering into the Ark, the survivors exclaimed, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Sam. 6:20). After Uzzah was executed for touching the Ark, “David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord come to me?’ ” (2 Sam. 6:9). Overwhelmed by his vision of God’s majestic holiness Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5).
Because of His grace and mercy, God refrains from worldwide judgment on all sinners, as they deserve. But in the future time of Tribulation, the opportunity for mercy and grace will be past, and the sinful, rebellious world will feel the full fury of God’s wrath. So terrifying will that time be that unrepentant sinners will cry “to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’ ” (6:16–17).
Not only is God’s holiness cause for worship, but also His power. In their song of praise, the four living creatures refer to God as the Almighty—a title by which God identified Himself to Abraham (Gen. 17:1). That term identifies God as the strongest, most powerful being, utterly devoid of any weakness, whose conquering power and overpowering strength none can oppose. Because God is Almighty, He can effortlessly do whatever His holy will purposes to do (cf. Isa. 40:28). In the midst of his trials Job affirmed, “If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!” (Job 9:19). The psalmist declared, “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3). In Isaiah 46:10 God said, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” After experiencing God’s devastating and humiliating judgment, King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged, “He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ ” (Dan. 4:35). Jesus taught that “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).
God’s power is seen in creation. Psalm 33:9 says, “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Having created the universe, God also controls it. In 1 Chronicles 29:11–12 David declared,

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

The phrase “He is able” expresses God’s power toward His elect, redeemed children. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul praises God for being “able to do [far more] abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” adding in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” Paul wrote to Timothy expressing his confidence in God’s power working on his behalf: “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Hebrews 2:18 reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ “is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted,” while Hebrews 7:25 reassures believers that “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Jude closes his brief epistle with a doxology of praise: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24–25).
But as was the case with His holiness, the aspect of God’s power most clearly in view here is His power exhibited in judgment. For example, He judged Satan and the sinning angels, expelling them from heaven; drowned the world in the Flood; destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain; drowned Pharaoh’s army; and shattered the most powerful king in the world, Nebuchadnezzar, reducing him to eating grass like an animal for seven years. Many times God’s power has destroyed the wicked. And it will be God’s power that unleashes the terrible, irresistible judgments on sinful mankind during the Tribulation before the Lord’s return.
Speaking of God’s judgment power, the prophet Nahum declared, “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him” (Nah. 1:6; cf. Mal. 3:2). God will judge those human rulers who foolishly think they can stand against Him (Ps. 2:2–6). “Who understands the power of Your anger,” asked Moses, “and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?” (Ps. 90:11). “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” cried Isaiah. “It will come as destruction from the Almighty” (Isa. 13:6). In Joel 1:15 Joel also warned of God’s coming judgment: “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.”
The four living creatures also praise God for His eternity, extolling Him as He who was and who is and who is to come (cf. the discussion of this phrase in chaps. 1 and 2 of this volume), who lives forever and ever (cf. 10:6; 15:7; Dan. 4:34). Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s eternity, that He transcends time, having neither beginning nor ending (e.g., Pss. 90:2; 93:2; 102:24–27; Isa. 57:15; Mic. 5:2; Hab. 1:12; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15–16). That sets Him apart from animals, who have both a beginning and an ending, and angels and humans, who had a beginning, but will have no ending.
To know that God is eternal provides comfort for His children, since, unlike a human father, He will always be there to take care of them. God’s eternity guarantees that our eternal life in heaven will never cease, that we will receive “an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). But it also means that the punishment of the wicked in hell will last forever, that their weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth will never cease, that “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Rev. 14:11). Such destruction of sinners is a vindication of the righteousness of God.
The praise of the four living creatures, as they give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, triggers a response from the twenty-four elders. They will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever. This is the first of six times that the elders prostrate themselves before God (5:8, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4). Such a posture is one of reverential worship, a natural response to the majestic, holy, awe-inspiring glory of God (cf. Gen. 17:3; Josh. 5:14; Ezek. 1:28; 3:23; 43:3; 44:4; Matt. 17:6; Acts 9:4).
Amazingly, after prostrating themselves the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne. They are not preoccupied with their own excellence. They are not concerned about their own holiness, honor, or reward. All those things pale into insignificance and become meaningless in light of the glory of God.
The elders add their own note to the chorus of praise initiated by the four living beings, crying out, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Axios (worthy) was used of the Roman emperor when he marched in a triumphal procession. The focus of the elders’ song is on God’s glory manifested in creation; He is presented as Creator throughout Scripture (cf. 10:6; Gen. 1:1; Ex. 20:11; Isa. 40:26, 28; Jer. 10:10–12; 32:17; Col. 1:16). The elders are acknowledging that God has the right both to redeem and to judge His creation. Their song anticipates paradise lost becoming paradise regained.
This first movement of the oratorio of praise pictures God about to judge Satan, demons, and sinners and take back His creation. Both the living creatures and the twenty-four elders can only worship in awe and wonder as God prepares to bring about the glorious day of which Paul wrote:

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (Rom. 8:19–22)

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1999). Revelation 1–11 (pp. 155–159). Moody Press.

9–11 The second hymn is sung by the twenty-four elders. When the living creatures confess the truth of God’s holy deeds, the response of the highest order of God’s heavenly creatures is to relinquish their crowns of honor before the feet of him who alone is “worthy” of “glory and honor and power” because he alone (no man, not even the emperor) is the source and stay of every created thing (Pss 33:6–9; 102:25; 136:5–9). The expression “by your will they were created and have their being” (v. 11), presents a translation difficulty because the Greek text has two different tenses—imperfect (ēsan, “they were” [NIV, “have their being”]) and aorist (ektisthēsan, “they were created”). Although a number of possible explanations have been advanced, Alford, 4:602–3, gives the best one: the imperfect tense describes the fact of their existence while the aorist captures the sense of the beginning of their existence. Consequently, the phrase might be translated thus: “Because of [not by] your will they continually exist and have come into being.”

Johnson, A. F. (2006). Revelation. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, p. 643). Zondervan.

11. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed, that is, they were created.”
    a. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” Three successive songs in the Apocalypse have the adjective worthy as their opening word, which because of its position receives emphasis (4:11; 5:9, 12). No one in the entire universe is worthy of glory, honor, and power but God and the Lamb. God is worthy because of creation, and the Lamb is worthy because of his sacrificial death. Hence, the Lamb alone is worthy to execute God’s plan of salvation and to fill the role of king in his kingdom.
    There is a difference between the song of the four living creatures (v. 8) and the song of the twenty-four elders. The angelic beings glorify God’s holiness, exclusive power, and eternity, while the elders glorify God for his work of creation. Further, instead of the word thanks (v. 9), the song has the expression power.
    b. “Because you created all things.” God’s power is revealed in creating all things in this vast universe. We as human beings are unable to absorb everything that exists, for we are limited by time and space. The universe that God created is so boundless that we marvel at God’s power. The Creator has made all things from the smallest particle to the largest star. Thus, the work of creation is the reason for the elders expressing their praise to the Lord God. Notice that they call him “our Lord and God.” In a succeeding song they praise the Lord Christ for purchasing them for God (5:9).
    c. “And because of your will they existed, that is, they were created.” The work of creation depends entirely on God’s will; without his will nothing happens. In other words, this world did not come into being by evolving on its own, but God exercised his will (Heb. 11:3). Thus, humanity, the animal and plant worlds, and inanimate matter exist only because of the will of God. This means that everything created by God must serve him.
    The last part of this verse has been interpreted in various ways, because the logical sequence should be “they were created, that is, they existed.” Even that wording is imprecise, for the reading really ought to be in the present tense, “they exist,” which is a reading supported by some manuscripts (see NKJV). Still other witnesses delete the words “they were created” to alleviate the problem entirely. The most difficult reading is here, as often, likely the correct one; it forces us to accept the text as is and interpret it to the best of our ability.
    The explanation suggested by a number of commentators is that the expression they existed looks back to the fact of creation and the expression they were created has to do with the beginning of their existence. The will of God is the cause of creation, and the Lord Christ is the agent of creation (John 1:1; Col. 1:15–18; Heb. 1:3). This is a fitting conclusion to the account of God’s throne room: God is sovereign in his creation.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 194–195). Baker Book House.

April 8 Morning Verse of the Day

13. And every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them I heard saying, “To the one sitting on the throne and to the
    Lamb
    be thanksgiving and honor and glory and
    power forever and ever.”

After the four living beings and the twenty-four elders have sung and similarly the countless angels, a third group of creatures utters a song of praise. This third group sums up the rest of God’s created beings; the wording is a repetition of verse 3 with the addition of the two phrases “and on the sea, and all things in them” (see Exod. 20:11; Ps. 146:6). The last phrase comprises the totality of God’s creatures, for nothing has been left out. I interpret the phraseology to be poetic language designed to incorporate everything God has made, for we cannot expect Satan and his followers in hell to utter praises to God.
All intelligent beings in God’s created universe sing his praises: the saints and angels in heaven, the birds in the sky, God’s people on earth, and all living beings on land and in the sea. The overwhelming chorus of all these voices, in praise to God and to the Lamb, defies human imagination. God is the King of creation who delegated the work of creation and redemption to his Son. As God receives tribute from his creatures, so does the Lamb, for he has completed the tasks that God assigned to him.
All intelligent beings in the entire universe sing praises “to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb.” The names God and Jesus are not mentioned. Instead the appellations the one and the Lamb show full respect to the Deity. They emphasize, first, God’s absolute power over the universe and, second, the Lamb’s victory over death and the grave. The hymn they sing is an affirmation and summary of those sung earlier (4:11; 5:12). This doxology evokes an affirmative “amen” from the representatives that surround God’s throne.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 213–214). Baker Book House.

song. Every creature … in heaven and on the earth joins in heaping eternal blessing and honor and glory and power on God the Father and on the Lamb.
This verse parallels Philippians 2:10 and 11, which insists that every knee will bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue confess Him Lord. No single, specific time is mentioned, but it will obviously be after the saved are raised to everlasting life and then after the unsaved are raised to everlasting judgment. Believers will have already acknowledged Jesus as Lord; unbelievers will then be compelled to honor Him. Universal homage to the Father and the Son is an assured fact.

MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.; p. 2363). Thomas Nelson.

† 5:13 — “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Throughout the Book of Revelation we see the Son and the Father honored and worshiped side-by-side. We see this even with titles; “the Alpha and the Omega” can refer to the Father (1:8) and to the Son (22:13).

Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Re 5:13). Nelson Bibles.

Globalist Puppetmaster Klaus Schwab Steps Down as World Economic Forum’s Chair: Is the Great Reset Crumbling? | The Gateway Pundit

Globalist Puppetmaster Klaus Schwab Steps Down as World Economic Forum’s Chair: Is the Great Reset Crumbling?

Copyright World Economic Forum (http://www.swiss-image.ch/Photo by Remy Steinegger)

The architect of the globalist nightmare known as the “Great Reset” is finally stepping back — and not a moment too soon.

Klaus Schwab, the unelected mastermind behind the World Economic Forum (WEF) and its dystopian dreams of centralized control, is preparing to step down as chair of the board of trustees, according to the Financial Times.

This announcement comes after Klaus Schwab announced his resignation as executive chairman of the WEF last year.

In an email to WEF staff members, Schwab announced he would be officially stepping down as executive chairman and transitioning to non-executive chairman.

After five decades of steering the WEF into a playground for elites, Schwab’s exit signals what could be the long-overdue unraveling of a technocratic agenda that aimed to dictate how the rest of us live, eat, travel, and think.

Schwab’s announcement follows months of internal chaos, scandal, and growing global backlash against his Orwellian vision.

The WEF — best known for its annual Davos conference where billionaires, bureaucrats, and corporate overlords lecture working-class citizens on cutting back their lifestyles “for the planet” — is reeling from allegations of discrimination, harassment, and a total loss of credibility.

While Schwab insists in his internal letter that the forum is still “more important and relevant than ever,” the writing is on the wall.

The same man who once gleefully proclaimed that by 2030 “you’ll own nothing and be happy” is now preparing to quietly slip into the shadows.

“I am deeply convinced that in today’s special context the forum is more important and relevant than ever before,” Schwab said in an internal email obtained by FT.

“It is also financially very well equipped thanks to successful financial management since its beginning. What is essential now after the turmoil of the last months, is to recover our sense of mission,” he added.

More from FT:

Schwab did not give a timeline for his departure from the organisation, of which he was executive chair for more than half a century. But the WEF said in a statement to the Financial Times that the process should be completed by January 2027•

Schwab’s signal to the board of trustees that he would resign as non-executive chair of the board of trustees “came as a surprise” given he only transitioned into the job in the past few months, said one of the people with knowledge of the matter.

[…]

Shortly after Schwab’s resignation last May the Wall Street Journal published accusations of discrimination and harassment made by several Black and female employees against Schwab and other managers.

The organisation denied all of the claims. Last month the WEF said external lawyers hired to perform an investigation into the claims did not find it had committed any legal violations and did not substantiate allegations of misconduct against Schwab.

[…]

The founder, who will now focus on writing his memoirs, said making the announcement on April 1 had special significance given that he had started to develop the concept of a “global village” on this exact date 55 years ago.

The timing couldn’t be more telling. Just one day before Schwab’s announcement, President Trump dropped a tariff bombshell on the global economy, slapping hefty levies on imports and vowing “reciprocal tariffs” to level the playing field for American workers.

The question is no longer if the Great Reset will collapse—but how fast.

The post Globalist Puppetmaster Klaus Schwab Steps Down as World Economic Forum’s Chair: Is the Great Reset Crumbling? appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Removal of Satan | Grace to You Blog

When we think of Christ’s kingdom, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the peace or joy we will experience as its citizens. But for that bliss to be possible, Christ must deal first with His enemies. Revelation 20:1–3 records:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

The first matter for the King’s attention as He sets up His kingdom is the confinement of the chief rebel. The removal of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the prince of the power of the air . . . the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), will dramatically change the world. By this time, God will have destroyed all human mutineers. Those who survived the Tribulation judgments will have been executed at Armageddon (Revelation 19:11–21) or the goat judgment (Matthew 25:41–46). The ringleaders of the worldwide revolt, the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet, will have been thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The final step in preparation for the kingdom will be the removal of Satan and his demon hosts, so that Christ reigns without the opposition of supernatural enemies.

The Chronology of the Kingdom

As it frequently does in Revelation (e.g., 6:1; 7:2; 8:2; 9:1; 10:1; 13:1; 14:1; 15:1; 16:13; 17:3; 19:11; 21:1), the phrase “then I saw” (Revelation 20:1) indicates chronological progression. The location of this passage in the chronological flow of Revelation is consistent with a premillennial view of the kingdom. After the Tribulation (chapters 6–19) Christ will return (19:11–21) and set up His kingdom (20:1–10), which will be followed by the new heavens and the new earth (21:1). Thus, the millennial kingdom comes after Christ’s second coming but before the establishing of the new heavens and the new earth. Amillennialist Anthony Hoekema has to acknowledge that, taken at face value, the chronology of Revelation supports premillennialism. He writes:

Let us assume, for example, that the book of Revelation is to be interpreted in an exclusively futuristic sense. . . . Let us further assume that what is presented in Revelation 20 must necessarily follow, in chronological order, what was described in chapter 19. We are then virtually compelled to believe that the thousand-year reign depicted in 20:4 must come after the return of Christ described in 19:11.^[1](“Amillennialism,” The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, ed. Robert G. Clouse [Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1977], 156

The passage clearly teaches that Christ’s return precedes the millennial kingdom—a scenario incompatible with both postmillennialism and amillennialism, but exactly what premillennialism teaches. To get around the difficulty which Revelation’s chronology poses for their views, postmillennialists and amillennialists must deny that chapter 20 follows chapter 19 chronologically. But such a denial ignores the chronological significance of the phrase “then I saw,” as noted above. It also ignores the continuity of the context: Having dealt with Antichrist and the false prophet in chapter 19, Christ deals with their evil master, Satan, in chapter 20. Why reject such an obvious chronology? It is apparently done for no other reason than to eliminate premillennialism, not because there is any justification in Scripture.

The Binding of Satan

The identity of the angel whom John saw coming down from heaven to bind Satan (Revelation 20:1) is not disclosed, but he may be Michael the archangel (Revelation 12:7; cf. Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9). Whoever the angel is, he possesses great power. He is sent to earth with a specific agenda: to seize Satan for the thousand-year duration of the kingdom, bind him, cast him into the abyss and seal it—and then release him at the end of the thousand years.

The term “abyss” appears seven times in Revelation (e.g., 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8), always in reference to the temporary place of incarceration for certain demons. The abyss is not their final place of punishment; the lake of fire is (Matthew 25:41). Nevertheless, it is a place of torment to which the demons fear to be sent (Luke 8:31). The prisoners in the abyss are among the most vile and evil of all demons and include the “spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah” (1 Peter 3:19–20). Those demons, who attempted to corrupt the human race by cohabiting with human women (Genesis 6:1–4), will never be released (Jude 6). They will be transferred directly from their temporary incarceration in the abyss to their permanent place of punishment, the lake of fire (cf. Isaiah 24:21–22). Other demons sentenced to the abyss will be released at the fifth trumpet judgment to torment sinners (Revelation 9:1–12).

The key given to the angel by God (Revelation 20:1) signifies his delegated authority (cf. Revelation 9:1); he has the power to open the abyss, and then to shut it after casting Satan inside. The metaphor of binding demons with a chain also appears in Jude 6. This chain is formidable, given Satan’s greatness and power as the highest created being (cf. Ezekiel 28:14). The angel “laid hold of” Satan (Revelation 20:2), who is unmistakably identified by the same four titles given him in 12:9. First, he is called “the dragon,” a title that emphasizes his bestial nature, ferociousness, and oppressive cruelty (cf. Revelation 12:3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:1, 2, 4; 16:13). The title “serpent of old” hearkens back to the Garden of Eden and Satan’s temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1–6). Diabolos, translated as “devil,” means “slanderer” or “malicious gossip” (cf. 1 Timothy 3:11; 2 Timothy 3:3; Titus 2:3)—an appropriate title for “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Satan is a malignant liar; in fact, he is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satanas, translated “Satan,” and its Hebrew root satan are used fifty-three times in Scripture. Both words mean “adversary,” since Satan opposes God, Christ, and all believers.

The Duration of the Incarceration

The period for which Satan will be bound is defined as “a thousand years” (Revelation 20:2), the first of six precise and important references to the duration of the millennium (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Satan’s binding poses a serious difficulty for both postmillennialists and amillennialists. Amillennialists argue that Satan is already bound, since, as explained in a previous post, they believe we are in the millennium now (though they do not view it as one thousand literal years in length). Many postmillennialists also believe that Satan is presently bound, because otherwise it is difficult to see how the church could usher in the millennium.

Yet the biblical description of Satan’s activity in this present age makes it impossible to believe he has already been bound. Satan presently continues to plant lying hypocrites in the church (Acts 5:3), scheme against believers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11), disguise himself as an angel of light to deceive people (2 Corinthians 11:14), attack believers (2 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:27), hinder those in the ministry (1 Thessalonians 2:18), and lead believers astray (1 Timothy 5:15); and he must be resisted (James 4:7).

Amillennialists and postmillennialists generally argue that Satan was bound at the Crucifixion, and that his binding simply means that he can no longer deceive the nations and keep them from learning God’s truth (e.g., Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 228). But Satan did not keep the Gentile nations from the knowledge of the truth before his alleged binding at the cross. The Egyptians heard about the true God from Joseph, and from the Israelites during the four hundred years they lived in Egypt. The Assyrians of Nineveh not only heard the truth from Jonah but also repented (Matthew 12:41). The Queen of Sheba heard about the true God from Solomon (1 Kings 10:1–9); the Babylonians from Daniel and his Jewish friends; and the Persians from Esther, Mordecai, and Nehemiah. Further, in what sense is Satan restrained from deceiving the nations in the present age, since he blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4), “is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), and holds unbelievers captive (2 Timothy 2:26) in his kingdom (Colossians 1:13)?

The testimony of Scripture is that Satan is anything but bound in this present age—but he will be during the coming earthly kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that he will be incarcerated in the abyss, which will be shut and sealed so that his lying influence will be removed from the nations. His activity in the world will not merely be restricted or restrained but totally curtailed; he will not be permitted to affect the world in any way in that period.

The binding of Satan will end all kinds of earthly evil, but it is merely a precursor to Christ’s reign. The millennial kingdom is marked not merely the absence of Satan, but by the physical presence of Christ. That’s the true blessing of the millennium, and that’s what we’ll cover next time.

(Adapted from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Revelation 12-22)

Source: The Removal of Satan

FEBRUARY 9 | Now he is comforted.

The sun shall no longer go down, nor shall the moon withdraw itself; for You, mighty Lord, will be my everlasting light, and the days of my mourning shall be ended. You will swallow up death forever, and You, Lord God, will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of Your people You will take away from all the earth. These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of Jesus the Lamb. Therefore they are before Your throne, Lord God, and serve You day and night in Your temple. You who sit on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And You, Lord God, will wipe away every tear from my eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

What a glorious promise and picture of hope! I thank You, Lord God, for this promise of comfort eternal that awaits fulfillment when Jesus returns to reign!

LUKE 16:25; ISAIAH 60:20; ISAIAH 25:8; REVELATION 7:14–17; REVELATION 21:4

Jeremiah, D. (2007). Life-Changing Moments With God (p. 50). Thomas Nelson Publishers.

February 9.—The Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them.—Rev. 7:17.

MY soul! thou hast not forgotten what thou wert so lately engaged in, a day or two since, at the call of God the Holy Ghost, to behold the Lamb of God. And art thou not still looking at him, gazing upon him, feasting thine eyes, thine heart, all thy affections upon him, and following him, in the sweet contemplation, from his cross to his crown? Come then, my soul, harp again and again upon this blessed string; for sure it is most blessed. And remember, my soul, as thou lookest, thy Jesus is in the midst of the throne—that is, the very centre of it. In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. For what is the Lamb of God, but God revealing himself in him, to thee, my soul, and all his people? And remember, also, that the throne in the midst of which thy Jesus is, in Scripture is called the throne of God and the Lamb, on purpose to show thee that it is one and the same. And what is that throne, my soul, but a throne of grace; a mercy-seat, a place for the poor and the needy to approach, to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need? Flee to it, my soul! haste! stay not: and remember, as Jesus is in the midst of it, it is accessible every way, and all around. The poor timid believer, that fears to go in front, may, like the woman in the gospel, who came behind, touch but Jesus’ garment: efficacy from the Lamb is in every direction. If Jesus was not there, it might be alarming to approach; but, remember, the Lamb is there—and he is the Lamb of God. Sweet encouraging thought! Come then, my soul, look to the Lamb. See, by faith, how he feeds the church which is above. And will he not feed the church below? Oh! yes. His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed. He is the heavenly Pelican, that feeds his young with his blood. And oh! what spiritual food, what divine food, what suitable food, what soul-satisfying, soul-ravishing, soul-strengthening food! Precious Lamb of God! every thing in thee is food. Feed my hungry soul, oh thou that art in the midst of the throne, and send me not empty away.

Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Morning Portion (p. 32). Robert Carter.

A Prophetic Song About The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ Was Performed At Trump’s Inauguration And Hardly Anyone Realized It | End Of The American Dream

An incredible thing happened during the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20th.  As the entire world watched, the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club performed a stirring rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  To me, it was one of the most memorable moments of the entire day.  But what most people don’t realize is that the song repeatedly references the Book of Revelation and the second coming of Jesus Christ.  I don’t think that it was an accident that this specific song was performed at Donald Trump’s inauguration at this specific moment in human history.  This was a reminder to all of us that the great battle between good and evil that has been going on for centuries is reaching a grand crescendo, and it was also a reminder to all of us that we really are living in the end times.

If you missed the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club’s performance of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, I would very much encourage you to check it out, because it truly was extraordinary.

This is one of our most loved patriotic songs, but most people have no idea where the lyrics came from…

In November 1861, a woman named Julia Ward Howe and her husband visited Washington, D.C. While there, Howe, a published poet, heard Union troops belting out a well-known marching song called “John Brown’s Body,” after the famous abolitionist, John Brown. A preacher standing with Howe encouraged her to write new lyrics to the tune.

“I replied that I had often wished to do so,” Howe later wrote.

Julia Ward Howe went to bed that night, and she said that the next morning the lyrics “were arranging themselves in my brain”…

I… awoke the next morning in the gray of the early dawn, and to my astonishment found that the wished-for lines were arranging themselves in my brain. I lay quite still until the last verse had completed itself in my thoughts, then hastily arose, saying to myself, I shall lose this if I don’t write it down immediately. I… began to scrawl the lines almost without looking…. Having completed this, I lay down again and fell asleep, but not before feeling that something of importance had happened to me.”

It sounds to me like something supernatural happened to her that morning.

Since that time, the Battle Hymn of the Republic has become one of our most important national songs and it has literally been sung by hundreds of millions of Americans.

Unfortunately, most people don’t even know that it is actually a song about the second coming of Jesus Christ.  The following are the lyrics to the first verse…

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

The first line makes it abundantly clear that this is a song about the return of Christ.

But in case that wasn’t enough for some people, the phrase “grapes of wrath” in the second line is a reference to Revelation chapter 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.

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.

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.

And the third line contains a reference to the sword that Jesus uses during the battle of Revelation chapter 19…

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.

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.

When people talk about the Battle Hymn of the Republic, they forget that it is actually a hymn.

Yes, this song has been performed in all sorts of settings and it has been used for all sorts of purposes.

But ultimately it is a Christian song about Jesus Christ, and it has been a staple in our churches for ages.

Following each verse, the chorus is to be sung…

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

Even most Christians don’t know that the word Hallelujah is only found in the Bible in the Book of Psalms and the Book of Revelation.

In fact, in the entire New Testament it is only found in Revelation chapter 19…

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

3 And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!”

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.

8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”

I am entirely convinced that this passage was the inspiration for the chorus of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

It is such a beautiful hymn.  Here are the rest of the verses…

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.

I have read His fiery gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!
“As ye deal with my condemners, so with you My grace shall deal!
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, ”
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!
While God is marching on.

In line after line, there are direct references to Christ.

So I was shocked that it would be sung at a presidential inauguration.

But once again, I do not believe that this was an accident.

Someone wanted this song to be performed in front of a worldwide audience at this specific moment in human history.

For years, I have been trying to get people to wake up and understand that we really are the Book of Revelation generation.

We really are living in the end times, and Jesus really is going to be returning.

No force on Earth can stop what God has planned, and His truth is marching on.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post A Prophetic Song About The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ Was Performed At Trump’s Inauguration And Hardly Anyone Realized It appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

Our Greatest Need (Revelation 4)

It’s easy to think the world is out of control and our lives are random. When things are hard, it’s easy to stop believing in God and doubt if He’s real. Then Revelation 4 comes along and shows us what’s really happening in this world. God occupies the throne of heaven. He is infinitely beautiful and glorious. He is the center of all creation and is worshiped by angelic beings. There is nobody like Him. Nobody deserves our allegiance or worship other than Him. There’s nobody worth building our lives around other than Him.

We have something in common, you and I. We want to know what truly matters in life. We aim to build our lives around something meaningful, something that will endure. We don’t want to reach the end of our lives and realize we wasted them chasing things that don’t matter.

But that’s not all. We want the same for our kids. We want to steer them away from distractions and dangers. We hope they invest their lives in what really matters, maybe even more than we do ourselves. We want our kids to pursue what is most important.

Let me expand this vision further. As we begin a new year as a church, we need to focus on what matters most. It’s easy for a church to get distracted by things that aren’t important. This will only become harder as we face struggles, judgment, opposition, and obstacles.

So let me ask you: What will keep us focused on what matters most? What will keep our kids focused on what matters most? And what will keep our church focused on what matters most?

Well, this chapter of Revelation provides a clear answer. We need a vision of God who sits on his throne. And that’s exactly what this chapter gives us. This chapter gives us what you, your children, and our church needs most. This chapter gives us a vision of God who sits on his throne, and if we get this vision too, it could change our lives forever.

Revelation So Far

For the past few months, we’ve been studying the book of Revelation. Today, we’re picking it up again after a break over Christmas. Revelation was written by John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, who also authored the Gospel of John and the three letters (1st, 2nd, and 3rd John). He wrote it in the mid-90s on the island of Patmos. It was addressed to a group of 1st-century churches in the Roman province of Asia, which is now called Turkey. However, it has a message for churches everywhere.

At the time this book was written, the church was small and outnumbered, while the Roman Empire was very powerful. In Revelation 1, we get a vision of Jesus Christ. It’s like the curtains of heaven are pulled back, and we get a view of Jesus Christ, our exalted and conquering Lord.

And then in chapters 2 and 3, Jesus writes to seven churches, which represent churches in all times and all places. He has a message for these struggling churches. These churches have all kinds of strengths and struggles. He encourages them, confronts them with challenges, and calls them to be faithful.

A Vision of God

But now Revelation shifts. Jesus has spoken to his churches, but in chapter 4, John receives a second vision. And what is the vision that John receives? He receives a vision of God who sits on his throne.

It’s a vision that continues into chapter 5. It’s an adoration ceremony where John sees God in his glory. He witnesses the indescribable majesty and transcendent glory of God. Although John is in Patmos, he’s transported to the throne room of heaven and gains a completely different perspective on what’s happening in the world. Christians are not just a small minority; God rules from heaven, and his people are safe.

John catches a glimpse of God’s majestic presence, and this changes everything. In many ways, what happens in chapter 4 is similar to what’s happened before:

• to what Moses witnessed in Exodus 34, when the Lord made his goodness pass before Moses and proclaimed his name to him;
• to what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 when he saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple”;
• to what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1 when, while in Exile in Babylon, he says, “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1);
• or to what Daniel saw in Daniel 7:9 when “thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.”

What do all these appearances of the glory of God have in common? The answer is they all happened when things looked bleak. Moses saw God’s glory when the covenant was in danger after the people had sinned. Isaiah saw God’s glory during a time of political turmoil, when the king died, the nation was on decline, and powerful nations were rising. Ezekiel and Daniel both saw visions of God’s glory while in exile. Now, John sees a vision of God’s glory when the church is small and struggling, and he himself is in exile.

What do God’s people need most when things look bleak? They need a vision of the glory and majesty of God. We’re not that different. As we’re struggling, as our lives unfold, the same realities that were true back then are true of us today, and we need these realities. As James Hamilton says:

You are surrounded by the glory of God. God is revealing himself in glory to you right now as we consider what chapters 4, 5 show us about the Creator and Redeemer. God reveals himself to you in his creation, which reflects his glory, and God reveals himself in a uniquely precise way in the Bible that he inspired. With the glory of God in creation all around you and with the Bible before you, you are surrounded by God’s glory. Drink it in and pray that God will set you free from the world’s idolatry, immorality, and godless way of interpreting life.

Revelation 4 shows us four things.

First, we see what’s happening right now.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (4:1)

This vision takes place while John is in Patmos. While he’s in exile, he gets a picture of what’s going on at that very moment in heaven. He gets a glimpse of what’s really going on in the world despite all appearances to the contrary. While on a rocky island in the Mediterranean Sea, Jesus pulls back the curtain, opens a door, and gives John a picture of what’s happening right now.

Second, we see a glimpse of God’s glory.

“At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (4:2).

John sees two things: a throne standing in heaven and someone sitting on it. The throne represents the place from which the whole universe is ruled. Right away, we’re comforted. Sometimes it looks like the throne of the universe is unoccupied, that things are in complete chaos.

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December 31.—Morning. [Or December 29.]“There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, not crying.”

Revelation 21:1–12; 14–16; 18–23; 25–27

AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (After the general judgment comes the full glory of the church, which is here represented as a heavenly city, or a bride in her marriage dress.)

^{3, 4} And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

^{5, 6} And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

⁷ He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

⁸ But the fearful (or cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

^9–11 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (The city shone in dazzling light a vision of brightness, such as never before was seen of mortal eye.)

¹² And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

^{15, 16} And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

The vision was inconceivably grand, the city seemed to stand on such an eminence, and its buildings reared their stately heads so high aloft, that it was as high as it was broad; and yet its breadth was three hundred and seventy-five miles. This gives us a glimpse of inconceivable vastness and sublimity. The number of the redeemed must be immense to need such a dwelling-place.

^{18, 19} And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.

²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (The unutterable splendour and grandeur of the church triumphant blazes before us in these dazzling metaphors.)

^{22, 23} And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

²⁵ And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

²⁷ And there shall in nowise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

How repeatedly in this chapter is falsehood branded as a dreadful sin! This should warn us to be truthful in all things, lest we be shut out of heaven.¹

---

¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 773). Baker Book House.

December 30.—Morning. [Or December 27.]“Alleluia, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.”

Revelation 19

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:

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.

³ And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

⁴ And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. (The utter overthrow of Popery will fill even heaven itself with superior gladness and bring new glory to God. Let us daily pray for it.)

^5–7 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 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. (When the false church is put away, the true church is revealed, and her time of glory comes.)

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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.

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.

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. (After the revealing of the church comes the universal triumph of her king and his hosts.)

^12–14 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. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

^{15, 16} 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. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

^{17, 18} 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.

The birds of prey were summoned to devour the slain, for those who fight against Jesus will assuredly perish.

^{19, 20} 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 worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

²¹ 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. (However numerous or powerful the foes of Jesus, they must fall. Therefore let us be of good courage, and press forward in his name.)

To thy great name, Almighty Lord,

We sacred honours pay,

And loud hosannahs shall proclaim,

The triumphs of the day.

Salvation and immortal praise

To our victorious King!

Let heav’n and earth, and rocks and seas,

With glad hosannahs ring.¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 771). Baker Book House.

December 29.—Morning. [Or December 25.]“The mystery of iniquity doth already work.”

AMONG other visions, John was favoured to see the destruction of the evil system of Antichrist, which was foreshadowed before him under the image of a base and guilty woman. This mother of harlots we believe to be the Church of Rome. Certainly there is nothing upon earth so like to the description, and it is difficult to conceive that any future system could more fully answer to the prophecy.

Revelation 17:3–18

³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: (Rome stands literally as well as spiritually in a wilderness.) and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Names of blasphemy are abundant in that church whose head dares to call himself Infallible.)

⁴ 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: (Dr. Wordsworth remarks that in the description of the Pope’s official dress mention is made of scarlet robes, a vest covered with pearls, and a mitre adorned with gold and precious stones.)

⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

These words are like a photograph of the Papacy, no portrait could be more accurate.

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.

⁷ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: (This beast is thought to be the old imperial power of Rome upon which the spiritual power rode as on a richly caparisoned steed.) 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. (God’s own chosen cannot be deluded by her, but myriads of others are.)

⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Every schoolboy knows that Rome is built upon seven hills.)

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.

¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (Of this many interpretations have been given, but none seems to us to be clear.)

^{12, 13} And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

Probably these are the kingdoms which arose at the breaking up of the old Roman empire, and all became vassals of the Papal power.

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.

^15–17 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate her, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

The Papacy will perish by the hands of the kings who once supported it. Already its temporal power is shorn away, and in almost every nation the rulers are resolved to curb its insolence.

¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. (This must be Rome, for no other city has exercised such imperial authority, and made the kings of the earth her vassals. May the fall of Romanism be speedy and overwhelming.)¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 769). Baker Book House.

December 28.—Morning. [Or December 23.]“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Revelation 7

AND after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (No leaf shall stir, nor ripple rise, until the redeemed are sealed and saved. The agencies of destruction shall lie down like lions in their dens till the elect are secure, and then they will leap forth to destroy the ungodly.)

⁴ And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (The Lord knows his own, their number is not left to chance, Jesus will see of the travail of his soul. The number mentioned represents the Jewish church, and is used to express greatness, definiteness, and completeness.)

^5–8 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. (Last, but not least, for the smallest tribe is as favoured as royal Judah, or fruitful Manasseh.)

^{9, 10} After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (The Lord has a chosen people among Gentiles as well as Jews, and these waving the palm of victory and wearing the robe of purity shall chant the song of sovereign grace.)

^{11, 12} And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (They use seven words of honour, for they render perfect praise both to the Lord God and to the Lamb. There are in heaven no deniers of the Deity of the Lord Jesus.)

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

^14–17 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (What poetry is here, and yet all is true! It makes one weep for joy to read the passage; but what bliss it must actually be to enjoy such blessings! Shall we all be among that favoured throng? Are we quite sure?)

Hunger and thirst are felt no more,

Nor suns with scorching ray;

God is their sun, whose cheering beams

Diffuse eternal day.

The Lamb which dwells amidst the throne

Shall o’er them still preside;

Feed them with nourishment divine,

And all their footsteps guide.

’Mong pastures green he’ll lead his flock,

Where living streams appear;

And God the Lord from every eye

Shall wipe off ev’ry tear.¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 767). Baker Book House.

28 december (1856) | Heavenly worship

“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. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 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.” Revelation 14:1–3

suggested further reading: Revelation 5:6–10

Why is the song said to be a new song? It will be a new song, because the saints were never in such a position before as they will be when they sing this new song. They are in heaven now; but the scene of our text is something more than heaven. It refers to the time when all the chosen race shall meet around the throne, when the last battle shall have been fought, and the last warrior shall have gained his crown. It is not now that they are singing, but it is in the glorious time to come, when all the hundred and forty and four thousand—or rather, the number typified by that number—will be all safely housed and all secure. I can conceive the period. Time was—eternity now reigns. The voice of God exclaims, “Are my beloved all safe?” The angel flies through paradise and returns with this message, “Yes, they are.” “Is Fearful safe? Is Feeble-mind safe? Is Ready-to-Halt safe? Is Despondency safe?” “Yes, O King, they are,” says he. “Shut the gates,” says the Almighty, “they have been open night and day; shut them now.” Then, when all of them shall be there, then will be the time when the shout shall be louder than many waters, and the song shall begin which will never end.

for meditation: The old year is about to be replaced by a new year, but that will soon grow old and fade away. Revelation speaks of the former things passing away (21:4), and the old serpent being cast out and bound (12:9 and 20:2). All that remains is new and remains new throughout eternity—a new song, a new heaven, a new earth, new Jerusalem—all things new (21:1–5).

sermon no. 110¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H., & Crosby, T. P. (1998). 365 Days with Spurgeon (Volume 1) (p. 369). Day One Publications.

December 24 | The Exalted Lord of Revelation

Scripture reading: Revelation 5:1–14

Key verse: John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold!

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Lambs were significant for the people of Israel. When they fled Egypt, they put the blood of lambs on their doorframes as a sign of belonging to God (Ex. 12). They had to kill a perfect lamb as a sacrifice for certain sins.

Sheep were stock animals, common, somewhat dirty, and not known for their intelligence. Many must have reacted with surprise when John the Baptist said to Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He did not look like a lamb, and few understood at that point that Jesus Himself would die as a sacrifice for sin.

Revelation 5 describes an even more amazing picture of the Lamb: “And I [the apostle John] looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (v. 6).

This image is beyond our human understanding; it is full of awe-inspiring power and mystery and might. The Lamb who died is now glorified, reigning over all His creation as its true Master. Christ the Lamb is to be worshiped and revered. It is no wonder that hosts of angels praise Him saying,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing! (Rev. 5:12)

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing!¹

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¹  Stanley, C. F. (2000). Into His presence (p. 375). Thomas Nelson Publishers.

December 23 – A view of the city #1 | Reformed Perspective

“[He] showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” – Revelation 21:10b-11 

Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-21

We see the city, the bride of the lamb, as it is coming down out of heaven from God. This is the Church that was built by Christ, whose inheritance is kept in heaven with Christ, and He shall bring it to completion on the glorious day. It is filled with the glory of God, a radiant, clear crystal. The church has been made pure and perfectly radiates the glory of God!

This city is a perfect cube, 1380 miles in every direction. Traveling 55 miles per hour it would take 24 hours to cross the city, which stretches the approximate distance from Nags Head, NC, to Salina, Kansas, from Southern Maine to North Florida, and then as high. The church is immense, a number we cannot count.

John is not seeing a literal city, but a symbol of the victorious church, the Lamb’s wife. The church does not live in the city, but the city is the church who dwells in perfect harmony with God. The beauty of the church here is our perfect fellowship with the Triune God. As Revelation 21:3 says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.” No more tears, death or pain. All will be new. On earth we are the bride, but we will be the lamb’s wife, perfectly reflecting the glory of our Transcendent God.

Suggestions for prayer

Praise God for His work in bringing His church to completion. Thank Jesus for coming in humility to take away our sins, so that we may look forward to the glory that shall be ours when He comes again.

Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.

Source: December 23 – A view of the city #1

December 18 – Day of judgement | Reformed Perspective

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it … And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened … and the dead were judged by what was written in the books.” – Revelation 20:11, 12

Scripture reading: Revelation 20:11-15

Today we catch a glimpse of the day of judgment. We see the great throne and Him Who was seated on it. Creation is seen to flee from God’s presence and it is as if all people were left ‘alone’ before the Judge. All are here; even the sea, and death and hades give up the dead. No one misses judgment day!

Then the books opened, including a book of life. All who have died were judged, along with all who are yet living, by what was written in the books, according to what they had done, which reflects what was in their hearts. We see Death itself and Hades thrown into the Lake of fire, along with everyone whose name was not written in the book of life.

All who believe, whose sins are covered in the Lamb’s blood, whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life from before the foundation of the world (see chapter 13:8), are saved. Not because they are worthy, but because God graciously gave them faith and life eternal, clothing them in the righteousness of Christ, and they believed and followed Jesus, striving to live as He lived, loving and forgiving as He loved and forgave them. Jesus secured their salvation in His death, resurrection, and ascension. He loses none of those who are His. Believe this and rejoice in the certainty of Christ’s work! Don’t fear the final judgment: your Judge is your Redeemer. Only those who do not believe need fear Jesus’ coming.

Suggestions for prayer

Pray for the coming judgment and give thanks to God that we are, by God’s mercy, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and our names written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.

Source: December 18 – Day of judgement