The Lamb Will Triumph-Rev 17-20

New Testament, Revelation, Sermons

Revelation 17:1-20:15 (Read Rev 17:14-18; 19:1-9)

Key Verse: Rev 17:14

“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Who will win in the end? When I was young I often felt lonely and depressed. Henry David Thoreau’s quote resonated with me: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” I reasoned that even if I was miserable my entire life, it would be OK if my life was happy and well at the end of my life. My comfort was that despite how miserable I was there was a vague hope that as long as I am happy at the end of my life, it would be OK. Little did I realize then that this was a message of the Bible in general and of Revelation in particular: Christ and his people wins in the end!

Snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. As a Chicago sport’s fan I was rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup. But in game 6, they were down a goal with just over a minute left. Everyone including myself assumed that they would lose and that there would be a game 7. So I turned off the TV. But in a span of 17 seconds, the Blackhawks scored 2 goals and won the Stanley Cup in 2013, which I missed! They literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. We love such stories. It is similar to the promise of God to his people that no matter how horrible things may be, in the end God always comes through and will win the victory for his people.

The Lamb will triumph. The visual imagery of apocalyptic literature such as Revelation is complicated, complex, confusing and confounding. But the theme and emphasis, which is repeated throughout Revelation, is simple and straightforward: The Lamb will triumph over Satan and all those who succumb to his lies and deception (Rev 17:14). The singular purpose is to encourage the church and all the people of God to patient endurance during times of hardship, temptation and seduction (Rev 13:10; 14:12). To the seven churches (and to all churches), the promise of God is that a glorious reward awaits all those who overcome and are victorious (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).

Let us first review the main characters of the cosmic conflict that has been described since Revelation 12.

  1. The woman (Rev 12:1): The people of God.
  2. A red dragon (Rev 12:3: The devil or Satan (Rev 12:9).
  3. A son, a male child (Rev 12:5): Jesus the Messiah. The Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last (Rev 1:8, 17). Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). The Word of God (Rev 19:13). The Lamb (Rev 14:1; 17:14a). The King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 17:14b; 19:16).
  4. The sea beast (Rev 13:1): Antichrists (1 Jn 2:18). The Roman empire.
  5. The earth beast (Rev 13:11): The false prophet (Rev 16:13; 19:20).
  6. The great prostitute, harlot, whore (Rev 17:1): Babylon (Rev 17:5, 18). Rome.

This sermon has three parts:

  1. The Villains and their Viciousness
  2. The Vulnerable and the Victims
  3. The Victors and the Vanquished

 I. The Villains (and Their Viciousness)

The four villains are the dragon (Satan) and her puppet powers–the sea beast, the earth beast and the harlot. Revelation shows how Satan, the beast, and the false prophet uses the wicked world as a prostitute (chaps 13 and 17) to sell what could be had for free in covenant with God.

The viciousness of the villians is expressed toward all: their victims (Rev 17:2; 13:8,16), the church and the people of God (Rev 17:6; 12:13, 17), and even each other (Rev 17:16).

II. The Vulnerable (and The Victims)

The victims of the devilish quartet are “all inhabitants of the earth” (Rev 13:8), “all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave” (Rev 13:16). The whole world is led astray (Rev 12:9). Because of the harlot’s seduction and the visitation of God’s justice, they experience the obliteration of everything(Rev 18:14, 17, 19, 21) and the loss of all joy (Rev 18:22-23).

The vulnerable are the church and the people of God whom the four villians are furiously bent on destroying (Rev 11:7; 12:13, 15, 17; 13:7, 15).

III. The Victors (and The Vanquished)

The vanquished are all the enemies of God: the harlot (Rev 17:16-19:6), the beast and the false prophet (Rev 19:11-21) and the dragon (Rev 20:7-10). The beast will hate the prostitute and desolate her (Rev 17:17). The beast, the false prophet and the devil will be captured and thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev 19:20; 20:10) along with those who worship the beast and receive its mark on their forehead or on their hand (Rev 14:9-10).

The victors are those belong to the Lamb. How else might we identify the victors?

  • They took to heart the eternal gospel (Rev 14:6) with patient endurance (Rev 13:10; 14:12).
  • They heed the call to leave the city and do not share in the sins of the harlot (Rev 18:4; Isa 48:20).
  • They triumphed over the accusing devil (Rev 12:10) by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 12:11a).
  • They do not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev 12:11b).
  • They are truly the most blessed ones for they willingly die in the Lord and rest from their labor (Rev 14:13).
  • Though they were ruthlessly and brutally beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus, they came to life and reigned with Christ (Rev 20:4).
  • Their unspeakable blessing is to be invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9).

The victor is the Lamb (Rev 17:14; 19:11-16).

References and notes:

1. Johnson, Dennis E. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation. Pillipsburg: P&R Publishing Company. 2001.

Chapter 10: Harlot: Babylon’s Luxury, Violence, and Destruction (Rev 17:1-19:10)

  1. Debut of the Harlot Babylon (17:1-6)
  2. Babylon and the Beast Interpreted (17:7-18)
  3. The Glorious Angel: Babylon’s Fall Celebrated in Heaven (18:1-3)
  4. The Other Voice: Babylon’s Fall Lamented on Earth (18:4-20)
  5. The Strong Angel: Babylon’s Fall Enacted (18:21-24)
  6. The Great Multitude: God’s Justice and Reign Celebrated in Heaven (19:1-10)

Chapter 11: Cosmic Conflict 2: The Thousand Years and the Last Battle (Rev 19:11-20:15)

  1. The Champion: Faithful and True, Word of God, Lord of Lords (19:11-16)
  2. The Last Battle: Take 1 (19:17-21)
  3. The Thousand Years (20:1-6)
  4. The Last Battle: Take 2 (20:7-10)
  5. The Last Judgment (20:11-15)

 2. Morris, Leon, The Book of Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1987.

The Triumph of Almighty God (Rev 17:1-20:15), 196-235

  1. The Judgment of the Great Whore (17:1-18)
    1. The woman seated on the beast (17:1-6)
    2. The significance of the woman and the beast (17:7-14)
    3. The punishment of the whore (17:15-18)
  2. The Judgment of Babylon (18:1-19:5)
    1. The fall of Babylon (18:1-3)
    2. A call to leave the city (18:4-5)
    3. Judgment on the city (18:6-8)
    4. A lament over the city’s fall (18:9-19)
    5. The destruction of the city (18:20-24)
    6. A thanksgiving for the judgment of Babylon (19:1-5)
  3. The Marriage of the Lamb (19:6-10)
  4. The Final Victory (19:11-20:15)
    1. One called “the Word of God” (19:11-16)
    2. The overthrow of the beast and of the false prophet (19:17-21)
    3. Satan bound (20:1-3)
    4. The first resurrection (20:4-6)
    5. Satan’s final overthrow (20:7-10)
    6. The last judgment (20:11-15)

 3. Sermons on Revelation by Kim Riddlebarger (Rev 17-20)

Revelation 17 describes the seductive ways of the harlot Babylon, who seduces the kings of the earth with her wealth, power and beauty.

Revelation 18 details the final destruction of Babylon the Great, the proud and boastful city of man standing in the way of the New Jerusalem that is coming down from heaven. It also describes the reaction of heaven and earth to the destruction of the city. For the church, the declaration that God’s judgment is coming on Babylon is intended to serve as a warning to all of God’s people to flee from the evil city before it is too late (Rev 18:4).

Revelation 19 describes a vision of the bride of Christ which is his church (Rev 19:1-10), and a vision of Christ as the divine warrior par excellence ready to wage war on all the enemies of God who have been deceived by the beast and the false prophet; the fate of the beast and the false prophet, which is the final judgment and the last battle, is also described (Rev 19:11-21).

Revelation 20 record the fate of the dragon. He will be cast into the lake of fire prepared for the Devil and all his angels.

Revelation 21-22 describes the new heavens and the new earth and all of the glories which await the people of God.

The amillennial (idealist) view. The Battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-17), the seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15-19), the sixth and seventh bowl judgments (Rev 16:12-21), the judgment of the beast and the false prophet (Rev 19:19-21), and Satan Rev 20:7-10), all occur at the same time. According to Revelation 20, this is when the thousand years are over (the millennium), that is, immediately before Christ returns to earth at the end of the age. Therefore, the millennium of Revelation 20 is a present reality lying between the first and second coming of Christ and is not a future hope. The thousand years refers to the reign of the saints in heaven while the Beast and the Harlot are persecuting the church on the earth. Thus, we are in the so-called millennial age right now, and that the millennium is not a time of peace and prosperity on the earth with Jesus ruling over the earth from the city of Jerusalem. [Premillennialism holds that Christ returns to earth and then establishes his millennial kingdom, before judging the world when the thousand years are over. But throughout Revelation, John teaches that judgment day occurs when Christ comes back–not a thousand years later.]

Judgment at the end of the age. The destruction of Babylon the Great occurs as a direct result of the seventh bowl judgment which God pours out on the earth at the end of the age. The bowl judgments are the third and final cycle of judgment in Revelation. They are far more intense than all the other judgments, extending to all the earth and all inhabitants. When the bowl judgments have run their course, God’s wrath is complete. But God’s people are spared from his judgment because they are sealed with the name of Christ. But all who worship the beast and his image, including those who have taken his mark so as to buy and sell, or to avoid persecution, will bear the full fury of God’s wrath.

The beast and the great prostitute. The beast wages war on the saints. In John’s day, it was Rome. Her emperors demanded worship as deities. There is another threat besides the beast wielding the sword. It is the glamour, wealth and seductive power of the city of man. She continually entices God’s people away from the Savior and into the arms of another, depicted as the great prostitute, Babylon the Great.

Rev 17:1 – Contrast the harlot with the bride. The harlot in Revelation 17-20 is, in a sense, the bride of the Beast, is contrasted with the bride of Christ in Revelation 21.

Rev 17:2 – Rome and the Roman empire was both the beast and the harlot. But the great prostitute Babylon the Great also symbolizes the city of man in every age. Through wealth, celebrity, and luxury, she seduces Christians away from Christ into the arms of the bride of the dragon. After the seduction, she will leave them with nothing. The harlot, symbolic of any idolatrous nation or empire, persecutes and attacks Christ and his church, not with the sword, but through seduction. Harlots may think their actions will gain them love and affection. But before long her pimp, the beast, will cast her away the moment her glory fades.

Rev 17:3-5. Her cosmetic beauty makes her a kind of counterfeit to the true bride, the bride of Christ. Hers is an earthly glory, not the heavenly glory of the righteousness of Christ.

Rev 17:6 – Celebrating the death of the saints. The harlot’s seductive influence and the beast’s coercive violence are symbiotic. The nations bow to Rome because its legions suppress insurrection (the beast), and because Rome’s administrative efficiency maintains societal stability and economic prosperity (the harlot). The threat of force and the allure of affluence work perfectly together. When Christians refuse to take the mark of the beast so as to buy and sell, they cut into the wealth and power of the harlot. So, Babylon celebrates the slaughter of Jesus’ people, since they refuse to buy into her economic interests.

Rev 17:15-18. When the time of the end finally comes, Satan’s kingdom will be divided against itself, the first casualty being the harlot. The very same kings and nations who committed spiritual adultery with her, will turn on her, strip her naked, and then burn and destroy her. Ancient Rome fell under the weight of its own immorality when sacked by the very nations who profited from Roman trade and order. So too, the final manifestation of the harlot will see her come to an end at the hands of those whom she seduced. Ironically, the beast will himself become the agent by which God brings judgment upon the great prostitute. For God puts it in the beast’s heart to hate the harlot. In Revelation 18 two angels and a voice from heaven explain the meaning of the demise of the great prostitute. What should be apparent is that the glories of the city of man are superficial and fleeting. The beauty, celebrity and wealth of the great prostitute are illusory. The harlot uses her charms to lead us away from our bridegroom, Jesus Christ, so that we become involved in her idolatrous adulteries. Let us never forget that true beauty is only found in the perfect righteousness of Christ. For he purifies us from all our sins. His blood washes away every imperfection. He is making us into a holy people, without spot or blemish. For this, the beast and the harlot will hate us. So will the world which worships them. But in Christ, we will overcome them all, just as he has.

Rev 18:1-3. (Response from heaven.) The glittering city of man, will suddenly become a desolate wasteland, inhabited only by demons and vultures. Her fleeting glory (lasting but “one hour” Rev 17:12; 19:10, 17, 19) is now gone. Without her jewelry and her make up, her beauty is no more. Her true ugliness is exposed, and her lovers desert her. She is left destitute, a hollow shell of her former self. But all those entangled with her idolatry will suffer her fate.

Rev 18:4-5 (Jeremiah 51; Isa 52:11). We are God’s people, living in exile here in the city of man. We wander through the wilderness of this evil age as pilgrims, functioning as salt and light, while making our way to the heavenly city. We must take the cultural mandate with great seriousness–as we seek to build a godly culture and rule and subdue the earth in the name of Christ. But let us not forget that our true citizenship is in heaven, where Christ is seated above. We are warned in no uncertain terms, that the great harlot will tirelessly seek to entice us away from Christ, through the allure of the city of man, its wealth, its power and its glamour. The prophets warned Israel during her time of exile. John warns us in Revelation 18 that the city of man–Babylon the Great–will fall under the direct judgment of God. If we become involved in her sins (her idolatry), we, too, risk coming under God’s judgment, for God will not be mocked. Therefore, we must heed the angel’s warning. We must come out from the great city while there is still time.

Rev 18:6-8. Because of her smug self-confidence and her arrogant pride, in just one day God will give to her exactly that punishment which her sins require. She will be consumed by those very things from which she thought herself immune: famine, death and mourning. Glory and luxury will give way to grief and torture. It is a frightening picture of what awaits for those who have turned their backs on Christ because of the allure of the harlot.

Rev 18:9-10. The consequences of Babylon’s fall rock the entire earth. The kings of the earth worshiped the harlot because of her wealth and power. Now, it is all gone. The kings weep and mourn because in one hour, Babylon the Great goes up in smoke, consumed by the judgement of God.

Rev 18:11-19. The kings of the earth are not alone in their grief. Those who were made rich by the harlot and who also participated in her idolatry are now terrified by her fate. They not only lament the loss of their wealth. They are terrified by the sight of her burning. As the harlot has been consumed, so will they. Babylon’s wealth not only included gold, silver and other fine merchandise. The great prostitute also traded in the souls and bodies of men, a description of slavery, but more likely the culmination of a decadent culture’s ruthless pursuit of pleasure, whatever the cost to others. Since God’s judgment is just, all those who participated in such despicable behavior must now watch all that they have worked to attain go up in flames, flames which also foreshadow the judgment that awaits all those whose hands are covered in the blood of men and who have exploited God’s people to increase ill-gotten gains.

Rev 18:10. While the earth’s inhabitants mourn, heaven celebrates Babylon’s destruction. Babylon the Great is responsible for martyr’s blood. She seduced kings, nations and peoples, enticing them into idolatry and the persecution of the saints. She did the bidding of the beast, riding upon his back. But one day, God will vindicate his saints who suffered at her hands. The great harlot will be destroyed. All those whom the woman put to death and persecuted, will rejoice at the just judgments of God. What might this mean to a persecuted church? The harlot seduced many, involving them in his idolatries. The congregations who heard the seven letters read aloud knew this. Now the saints learn that the harlot, like the beast she rides, will come under the judgment of God. God will repay her the exact measure for her crimes. Heaven rejoices at the news!

Rev 18:21-24. There will be no signs of life in her homes. The day to day affairs of life will suddenly cease. Her end is certain. The judgment upon her will be complete. Nothing will remain of her. The implications of the destruction of Babylon the Great should be clear. Despite the allure of the harlot, her beauty is false and her wealth will be consumed by the fires of judgment. All who become entangled in her idolatry will weep and mourn as they witness her final destruction. For the fate of the harlot soon will become their own. The kings and merchants are terrified by the awesome sight of the great city disappearing before their eyes. Christians should take heart that the harlot will get what due her in the end. Also, any who have been seduced by her deceptive ways are given one final warning, one last chance: “come out of her, my people!” There is still time to escape from her arms. Her illusory beauty and wealth are exposed for what they are. Satanic deceptions will be stripped away. John will make plain in the next chapter that true riches and true beauty can only be found in Christ. For Jesus Christ died for his bride, purifying her from every stain, spot and blemish of sin, and Christ was raised for her justification so as to provide her with a perfect righteousness.

Rev 19:1-10 is a vision of the bride of Christ, his church. While the great city Babylon has been committing spiritual adultery with the kings and nations, God has been preparing a bride for his Son. With the destruction of Babylon now complete, the long-anticipated wedding is about to begin. The account of the harlot which began in Revelation 16 with the seventh bowl of judgment, now comes to an end in a most unexpected way. The destruction of the harlot becomes the occasion of the marriage of the Lamb. And heaven resounds with the sounds of

celebration as the Messiah and redeemer of God’s people is about to take his bride.

Rev 19:1-6. Five times in the first six verses we hear “hallelujahs” coming from the company in heaven: the angels and all the saints throughout redemptive history, who have died in Christ, believing God’s promise to save sinners and longing for this great day to arrive.

Rev 19:7-10. All who trust in Jesus through faith receive an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. With the true beauty of our wedding garment, the fine linen of Christ’s perfect righteousness, white and clean, we see the apparent beauty of the harlot for what it truly is–a false and fading glory, destined to perish in the flames of God’s fury. But the beloved in Christ are invited to a glorious feast which celebrates the destruction of his enemies and the final vindication of his grace. There will be the finest of fare, aged wine, the best of meats. There is no more death, despair, pain or suffering (Rev 21:4). It is the appointed time for the glorious wedding of the king’s son. We are invited to this wedding not merely as guests to watch the grand pageant. We, the beloved, are invited to become Christ’s own glorious bride: “radiant, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph 5:27).

Rev 16:17-19:10 describes God’s judgment on the harlot, and contrasts the bride of the dragon (Babylon the Great) with the bride of Christ (the church). While the great harlot commits adultery with the kings of the earth, continually increasing her guilt, Christ’s bride, meanwhile, is preparing herself for her marriage to the Lamb.

Rev 19:11-21, like the sixth seal, the seventh trumpet, the sixth and seventh bowl judgments, is a yet another symbolic picture of what happens at the end of the age when Christ returns to judge the world, seen from yet another new perspective.

Rev 19:17-18. This is a feast of judgment for all who reject the mercies of Christ.

Rev 19:19-21. This graphic scene is of the final judgment, the grand climax, the last battle. In the final and furious war the beast is waging on the church at the end of the age, suddenly Christ will appear and the beast and the false prophet will be caught and thrown into the lake of fire, to be tormented forever and ever, along with all who received the mark of the beast.

Revelation 20 does not follow after the events of Revelation 19 in any chronological sense (the amillennial interpretation). Revelation 20 depicts another vision, which like the others, describes the entire period of time between the first coming and Second Coming of Christ from yet a different theological camera angle, this time depicting the fate of the dragon. Building on previous visions, John describes what happens to Satan beginning with the time he waged war in heaven and was cast down to earth (Rev 12:7-9), until the time of the end (depicted here in Revelation 20). The thousand years is thus an apocalyptic symbol of Christ’s present reign in heaven, together with all who come out of the great tribulation and who have suffered at the hands of the beast. Therefore, Revelation 20 is a description of this present age, viewed from the perspective of the final fate of the dragon (Satan).

Revelation 20 begins a new vision–a theological replay of the same events which began in Revelation 16 with the sixth and seventh bowls–and which culminated in Revelation 19:11-21 with God’s final judgment upon all the peoples and the nations of the earth.

Rev 20:1. (Apocalyptic symbolism is never intended to be understood literally. How can an angel bind a spiritual being (Satan) with a real chain? How can a spiritual being be locked away in a pit?) The abyss is a reference to death and Hades–the realm which Satan is most closely associated. Having been cast of out heaven (Rev 12:7-9), John now sees an angel (either Christ himself, or an angel exercising Christ’s authority) confining Satan to the realm of the dead since Satan has been cast from heaven where he had been making accusations against the saints (Rev 12:10).

Rev 20:2-3. Satan is bound to the abyss–the realm of death and hades–for a specified time (a thousand years), for a specific purpose (so that he is prevented from deceiving the nations), until the thousand years are over. John’s point is not that Satan ceases all activity during the thousand years–in fact the Devil’s rage increases because he knows the end is coming (Rev 12:12). But Satan is prevented from deceiving the nations so as to organize them against the church until being released at the end of the thousand years. Nations who persecute the church come and go. But they are prevented from organizing against the church as a whole. Inevitablythey come to an end–often times a bloody end brought about by the providential intervention of God (Rev 17:17).

1,000 years is not intended understood literally. Numbers are used symbolically throughout Revelation. Seven is the number of perfection and completion. Four is the number of the earth. A thousand is the third power of ten, symbolic of a long period of time, perhaps an ideal period of time. In Rev 2:10, the saints in Smyrna were forced to endure ten days of suffering, but were rewarded by reigning with Christ for a thousand years! The intensification of ten days (a short time) to a thousand years (an ideal time) is intended to show that our momentary suffering is rewarded by great glory, even during this present age, prior to the eternal state. Thus Satan being bound for a thousand years refers to Satan being cast from heaven and confined to the realm of the dead until released.

Rev 20:4-6 shifts the scene to heaven. In Revelation, thrones are always in heaven, not on the earth. Therefore, this scene is a heavenly one, not earthly. Also John sees “souls,” not people. These souls are the disembodied spirits of those who were put to death for refusing to worship the beast or to take his blasphemous mark on their bodies. They held to their testimony for Jesus and his word, until their final breath. But when they die, they immediately come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years! This is not describing a future earthly millennium characterized by universal peace. This time is characterized by persecution and suffering. People die because they confess “Jesus is Lord,” in the face of the persecution of the beast. These people come to life, and the second death–a reference to eternal judgment and the fires of hell–has no power over them. They come to life and reign with Christ in heaven until his return at the end of the age.

Rev 20:5. This translation at the time of death to the reign in heaven is the “first resurrection.” Indeed “blessed and holy” are those who take part in it. This is not a reference to the bodily resurrection at the end of the age, but is a reference to a believer’s regeneration, conversion, and entrance into heaven at death. Jn 5:24-25 suggests that he first resurrection occurs at the time of regeneration when we are born again, and is manifest when we leave this life and enter into the presence of Christ in heaven, where we will reign with Christ as priests until the thousand years are over.

Rev 20:7-10. The focus shifts back to earth, to the days immediately before the return of Christ. Satan will be released from his prison in the abode of the dead. Through the agency of the last and greatest beast, the false prophet and the seductive efforts of the harlot, Satan will manage to deceive the nations for the purpose of waging war on the church. The “camp of God’s people,” and “the city that he loves,” are symbolic references to Israel wandering in the wilderness and to the New Jerusalem, which even now is coming down from heaven.

Gog and Magog (Rev 20:8) are the leaders of the Gentile nations who attack the people of God (Ezekiel 39). These evil leaders appear in the same prophecy of birds of prey who feast on the inhabitants of the earth at the time of final judgment. This is compelling evidence that Rev 19:11-21 and Rev 20:7-10 are both referring to the same event, the final judgment.

On three occasions, Revelation refers to this final battle when the nations gather to make war on the church:

  • The most famous is the Battle of Armageddon, described in the sixth bowl judgment (Rev 16:12-16).
  • The sixth seal judgment (Rev 6:12-17).
  • When the seventh trumpet sounds (Rev 11:15).

Thus Rev 20:1-6, is not a description of a future millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. It is a description of the present reign of the saints in heaven. Rev 20:7-10 describes what happens when Christ returns to earth in judgment. He rescues his church and delivers his people in their greatest hour of trial, consuming his enemies with fire from heaven. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented, forever and ever. He will suffer the same horrible fate as the harlot, the beast and the false prophet.

Rev 20:11-15 describes the final judgment. With this, human history comes to an end and we now enter the eternal state. No subject strikes terror into the human heart like the thought of standing before God on judgment day, knowing that we must each give a full account of all those things we have done. Once the harlot has been destroyed, Christ has taken his bride, the kings and nations have become nothing but food for birds of prey, the beast and the false prophet have been caught and cast into the lake of fire, and Satan has likewise been thrown into the same place to be tormented forever and ever, the day of judgment, when we all appear before God’s throne, has now come. The books will be opened, and all men and women will be judged according to what they have done. We have reached the final chapter of redemptive history, a chapter which never ends.

Rev 20:11  is a retelling of the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-17) and the seventh bowl (Rev 16:17-21) and in 2 Pet 3:10-13. The day of judgment is also the day when the entire universe is renewed, and when every hint and trace of human sin is purged from all creation.

Rev 20:12a is John’s witness of the heavenly court convening so that the final sentence can be pronounced on all individuals. This is a final judgment according to our works as God instituted with Adam in Eden and which has never been abrogated (2 Cor 5:10).

Rev 20:12b says another book was opened. This book does not contain the record of our deeds, but is instead described as “the book of life” (Rev 13:8; 17:8; Dan 12:1). This book contains names of specific individuals, not a record of their deeds. The Book of Life contains a list of the names of God’s elect. These are the people for whom Christ has died and for whom he has perfectly obeyed the covenant of works and the Ten Commandments. While all men and women will give an account of their works, those whose names are written in the book of life escape eternal punishment having been purchased by the blood of the Lamb.

Rev 20:13. Throughout Revelation, these three names are used for the region of the dead. At the time of the end, all of those held in these places are now raised from the dead and stand before the presence of God to give an account of all that they have done. The focus here is onunbelievers, since those who have died in Christ are not confined to the sea, death, or Hades, but have been depicted throughout Revelation as already being in the presence of Christ in heaven, awaiting the great day of resurrection and the creation of a new heaven and earth.

Rev 20:14-15. The temporary places where the dead have been kept–the sea, death and Hades–give way to the permanent abode of the unbelieving dead, the lake of fire, which is “the second death.” All whose names are not written in the book of life are judged according to their deeds, failed to stand in that judgment, and are, cast into the lake of fire–an apocalyptic symbol for unending torment in the presence of God.

Review overview that leads up to Rev 20:11-15:

Revelation 4-8. John is taken up before the throne in heaven. Only the Lamb is worthy to open the seven seals of the mysterious scroll. The first of three cycles of judgment begin against the earth. It brings death and destruction to one fourth of the earth’s inhabitants. Like birth pains, the seal judgments become more violent and intense toward the end of the age. The sixth seal depicts a great earthquake and the second coming of Christ. With the seventh seal there is silence.

Revelation 8-11. The second cycle of judgment are the trumpet judgments. Like the seals, they are cyclical in nature and intensify toward the time of the end. But they are more intense than the seals, bringing judgment on one third of the earth’s inhabitants. It ends with the seventh trumpet, announcing the second coming of Christ and the destruction of the city of man.

Revelation 11-14 uses apocalyptic symbols to set forth the roles of the principle players in the redemptive drama: the woman (Israel), the dragon (Satan), the beast from the sea (Roman empire), the beast from the earth (the false prophet), the 144,000 (the church on the earth), the two witnesses who preach the gospel, the three angelic heralds who announce the coming of final judgment, before pointing to the victorious Lamb who dwells among his people in the heavenly Zion. Like all previous visions, this section takes us from the coming of Christ to the final judgment, while not describing the final judgment of the earth’s inhabitants.

Revelation 15-16 describes the third and final cycle of judgment, the bowl judgments, the most intense cycle of judgment, when God’s fury extends to whole earth and to all of its inhabitants. They primarily focus on the time of the end. Once these seven bowls of wrath have been poured out on the earth, God’s wrath is complete (finished). Again, this brings us to the moment of final judgment without describing the final judgment itself.

Revelation 17-18 uses the city of Rome and the Roman empire as graphic illustrations of a future world-wide anti-Christian empire which arises at the time of the end. The seductive ways of the great city is described as a harlot who seduces the kings of the earth, involving them in her gross idolatries. Her final destruction is described. From the angel’s testimony, God puts it in the hearts of those seduced by the great harlot to turn on her and bring her to ruin. The kings of the earth weep and mourn as Babylon the Great is consumed in flames. The smoke of her destruction serves as a frightening reminder of what befalls all those who participate in her idolatries.

Rev 19:1-10 describes the return of Christ to destroy all the nations of the earth, the great and small, who do the bidding of the beast and worship his image. There is rejoicing in heaven that the time of the end has come. God vindicates his suffering saints. The destruction of Babylon means the time has come for the marriage supper of the Lamb, when the church is now a radiant spotless bride, prepared for her husband.

Rev 19:11-21 describes another feast, when God brings the birds of prey to feast on the flesh of those destroyed by Christ during the last great battle when the kings of the earth begin their final assault on the church. The Beast and the False prophet are caught and thrown into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:1-6, the famous millennial passage, describes the reign of Christ in heaven for a thousand years along with the saints who come out of the great tribulation. This vision likewise covers the entire period between Christ’s first and Second Coming–the thousand years not being a literal one thousand years, but an apocalyptic symbol for an ideal period of time. An angel comes down from heaven, confining Satan to the abode of the dead so that he can no longer deceive the nations. The first resurrection is when a believer crosses over from death to life at the moment of regeneration, so that when they die they “come to life” and reign with Christ in heaven for a thousand years.

Rev 20:7-10 describes a brief time of great apostasy at the end of the age, when Satan is let loose from his abyss when the thousand years are over. The Devil goes out to the four corners of earth to orchestrate one final revolt against Christ and his church (the camp of God’s people, the city he loves). This culminates in the final battle when Satan is at last thrown into the lake of fire where he will be tormented forever and ever.

This survey of these visions bring us to the very threshold of the final judgment, without describing the judgment itself. We see Christ’s glorious victory over all his enemies, including the Devil, the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, the kings of the earth who sided with them, and all who have taken the mark of the beast and have worshiped his image. These images describe what is and what is to come in general terms. But Rev 20:11-15 no longer speak in generalities. Things become intensely personal; we will all participate. We are told in no uncertain terms precisely one thing: We will all stand before God’s throne of judgment and give an account of what they have done.

Number of Views: 110