Chapter-by-Chapter Explanation of the Book of Revelation: Chapter 1-5 | Chapter 6-10 | Chapter 11-15 | Chapter 16-22 Chapters 16 – 18: The Vial Plague Judgments Revelation Chapter 16 “1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” (16:1) Chapters 16 through 18 contain the prophecy of the third woe. In this third woe, the judgment plagues contained in the vials of the seven angels shall be poured out upon all the earth. All the earth will have become deserving of the wrath of the Lamb and the judgment of God. (1) Chapter 16 describes the content of the third woe. (2) Chapter 17 describes the judgment that shall be performed upon the ecclesiastical power, the Harlot. (3) Chapter 18 describes in detail the judgment that shall be poured upon the authority of the world of Babel, Babylon, Mammonism, and the corrupted nations. These chapters show the fierce judgment of God upon the three numbers of the beast described in chapter 13. These judgments are more fully described in this publication under the subject, “Prepare for the Three Stages of the Tribulation.” Chapter 19: The Second Coming of the Lord “1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 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.” (1-2) Chapter 19 describes the wrath of the Lamb against the Satan’s hosts and the wicked at the Second Coming. The righteous, the prophets, apostles, and martyrs in heaven shall rejoice over righteous judgments of God. Those are the 144,000, the ones who will receive a special blessing from God because of their deaths as martyrs. (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:7; 12:11; 13:7; 14:1-5, 13; 15:2-3; 17:14; 18:20, 24; 19:1-3, 7-8, 14; 20:4-6) “5. 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... 7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 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... 1l. 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.” (5-14) The fine linen, clean and white signifies the wonderful blessing for the martyrs who will have gone before us. They make up the army following the Lamb who is coming to judge the wicked on earth. Jesus Christ is the one who sits on the white horse as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “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.” (15-16) These words of judgmental destruction upon His enemies are spoken by Christ upon His return to earth. (Dan. 7:13; Isa. 11:4; 63:1-4; Mt. 24:30; 26:64; Mk. 13:26; Lk. 21:27; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7; 19:11, 16; 20:1-6) “17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18. 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... 20. 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.” (17-20) The Lord's Second Coming shall be a day of rejoicing for the righteous, the prophets, apostles, and martyrs, but it shall also be a day of fierce judgment for the wicked. As the grapevine of the winepress symbolizes, chapter 19 warns that the wrath of the Lamb will be fearful for the wicked when their sins are fully ripe. (Rev. 6:3-8, 15-17; 13:1-7, 9-18; 14:18-20; 19:17-21) All the exalted ones of this earth, kings, royalty, captains, wealthy, etc.--who turn against God and use their power to persecute the saints--shall be completely destroyed as the judgments of God fall upon them. (Rev. 6:15-17) This is the day of the Lord’s vengeance. (Isa. 63:4-6) These are those who shall receive the mark of the beast that shall perform miracles. (Rev. 13:16-18) And they are tied to the power of the red horse, the black horse and the pale horse. (Rev. 6:3-8; 14:8-11; 16:2; 19:19-20; 20:10) The wrath of the Lamb does not end here. Another judgment comes after the Lord’s return. Not only shall God judge the power of the beast which wages war against Him, but He shall also judge the leaders who commit crimes both spiritual and carnal, and the idlers among the righteous leaders who should feed God’s sheep but don’t. (Mt. 7:23; 13:36-42, 49; 25:29-30) The reason for the judgment of the Lord from beginning to end is to separate between the righteous who do the work of God and the wicked that are instruments of Satan. (Ps. 1:6; Mt. 25:46; 13:43) Despite the coming judgment of the Lord upon the Devil and his kingdom, Satan unceasingly slanders the work of God. Chapter 20: The Millennial Kingdom and Great White Throne Judgment “1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (1-3) An angel comes down from heaven, binds Satan, casts him into the bottomless pit and shuts him up for a thousand years. (Gen. 3:1-6; Isa. 14:12-14; 27:1; Lk. 10:18-19; Rev. 9:1, 10-11; 11:7; 12:3-4; 12:7-9; 17:8; 13:17-18; 19:19-20; 20:1-3; 20:13) “4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (4-6) Those who received the power of judgment and the power to reign with Christ a thousand years are those who shall be the martyrs. They will participate in the Millennium Kingdom. These belong to the number of those who follow Jesus when he comes again on the earth. They shall be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white robes. In the ranks of the martyrs shall not only be those who were beheaded for their witness of Jesus. There shall also be living martyrs (witnesses) who did not worship the beast and won victory in the battle against Satan and the Antichrist through sacrificial prayer and fasting. This blessing of the Millennial Kingdom is the blessing enjoyed through message of the Everlasting Gospel. (Isa. 35: 11:6-9; 65:20-25; 60:15-22; Rev. 6:9-11; 11:15; 13:7; 14:1-5,13; 15:2-3; 17:14,; 18:20,24; 19:1-2,7-8,14; 20:4-6) In the blessing of the Millennial Kingdom, there is a special blessing for those who live and reign with Christ, and a general blessing of the rest of the dead who shall participate in paradise in heaven. The special blessing is for the martyrs, who are commissioned to be sacrifices that God shall receive. The general blessing is the blessing for the saints who are faithful to the end of their lives. For those who participate in the Millennial Kingdom, the second death shall have no power over them, and they shall not be included in the number of those who stand before the great white throne judgment. (Rev. 20:11) “7. And when the thousand year are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (7-10) “11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (11-12) “13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (13-15; cf. Rev. 13: 16: 17: 18 ) “8. But the fearful, 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.” (Rev. 21:8) “15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (Rev. 22:15) The second death is equivalent to being cast into the lake of fire. Those lost persons whose eternal spirits go to hell after their “first” or physical death do not go directly into the lake of fire. They shall receive a body at the second resurrection and appear before the great white throne judgment. There they shall be judged by their works, and after checking the Book of Life and not finding their names, they shall be condemned at that time to the second death, that is, to dwell eternally in their resurrected bodies in the lake of fire. Jesus Christ, as the Lord of judgment under the Sovereignty of Almighty God, will judge all those ones who are not written in the book of life. (Ex. 32:32-33; Jn. 5:27-29; 1 Cor. 15:23-24; Mt. 25:31-34) Among those who shall be cast into the lake of fire are the beast, the false prophet, and all whose names are not found in the Book of Life. The unbelievers, the multitudes of unrepentant people, and the wicked shall be judged according to their works and receive their just portion which is eternal death in the lake of fire. (Rev. 21:8; 22:15; 16, 17, 18) Chapter 21: The New Heaven and the New Earth “1. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 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. 6. 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.” (1-7) As we have studied the text up to now, we have seen the horrible judgments prepared for the wicked, and the wonderful blessings prepared for the righteous. The former heaven and earth, which are full of wickedness and desolation, shall completely pass away, and the newly- created heaven and earth shall greet His holy people. Those who shall enjoy the blessing of the new heaven and new earth and of the holy city, New Jerusalem, are those who were redeemed and clothed with white robes and who had their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Rev. 7:9-14; Isa. 61:10; 66:22; Mt. 13:43; Rev. 3:12; 21:27) There shall be no more curse, no more sin, no more death, pain, disease, torment, nor tears nor lamentation. All things shall be made new! This is the place for all the faithful servants of God, those who shall have gone through the three stages of the Great Tribulation and conquered it through the Everlasting Gospel, the seal of God, and Seven Spirits. The curse shall be no more. Neither shall there be sin nor death nor disease, neither pain nor tears nor lamentation. At the place where all things shall have been made new, these redeemed shall enjoy the blessing of God in the tabernacle of God and the blessing of eternal living waters. (Rev. 7:15-17; 21:1-7) Hallelujah! I give thanks, praise, and glory to the Lord, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, who prepares us for eternal life and promises us wonderful blessings. Amen. “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. 22. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23. 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.” (21-23) “27. And there shall in no wise 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.” (21:27) The Book of Life appears throughout the Bible. (Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 21:27) There is a book in which are written all the names of those saints who kept God’s covenant under the Old Testament, and there is a Book of Life in which are written the names of those keeping God’s commandments in the New Testament. The Book of Life in Revelation chapter 20 includes the names of all the redeemed under the covenants of both the Old and New Testaments. That is to say that the Book of Life in chapter 21 contains the names of all those who are saved through the name of Jesus Christ. (Ps. 56:8; Isa. 4:3; 62:2; 66:22; Mal. 3:16; Lk. 10:20; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 12; 13:8; 17:8; 21:21-27) Chapter 22: The New Jerusalem “1. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: And they shall reign forever and ever. 6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (1-7) We can distinguish between the blessing of the tabernacle (the outer parts of the city) and the blessing of the city (the inner part of the city) of New Jerusalem, which is to descend from heaven. Revelation chapter 22 describes the blessing in the inner part of the city. This blessing is the special grace of God for those in the ranks of the righteous, the prophets, apostles, and martyrs who shall have the name of God and of the Lord in their foreheads. (Rev. 7:4; 14:1-4; Jn. 6:27; 3:33; Rev. 21:17; 9:4; 22:4, 14; Ezek. 9:3-4) This is the place where the saints drink of the water of life and eat of the fruit of life and serve God giving Him praise and glory. This is the place where there shall be no more curse, nor disease, nor death; where God the Father and Jesus the Son shall converse with the righteous, the prophets, apostles and martyrs who went on before us. (Ps. 1:3; Isa. 35:8; 1Peter 3:13; Rev. 1:3; 6:2; 11:11; 17:14; 22:17) “12. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” (12-13) “16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.” (16-17) “18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen, Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (18-21) The abundant blessings of the New Jerusalem will be prepared for all who are witnessing to the truth of the Everlasting Gospel, the Seal of God, the Three Stages of the Spiritual Realm, and Three Stages of the Tribulation, and preparing for the Second Coming of the Lord. The abundant blessings of the New Jerusalem, which are the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), the crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4), and the crown of life (Rev. 2:10), shall be waiting for those righteous, prophets, apostles and martyrs who carried out their missions on earth. (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:7; 12:11; 13:7; 14:13; 16:2-3; 17:4; 14:1-4; 17:14; 18:20, 24; 19:1-2; 19:7-8, 14; 20:4; 22:4) Now is the time to powerfully witness to all the spiritual churches, servants of God and saints who are earnestly longing to receive such a wonderful blessing. Jesus’ Second Coming shall complete this work. He is saying, “Surely, I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!