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Revelation 12-17
We are in the Church Stream reading from the New Century Version.
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Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis
The five verses prior to our reading today [Rev. 11:15-19] took us beyond the Final Judgment Day; the glorious consummation of history. Then here we are with so much sounding catastrophically similar to last week. That is because chapters 12-19 is a mirroring repeat of Rev. 6-11. Today’s reading in Rev. 12-17 took us back to the start of the Tribulation and goes through it again. This time the visions illustrate for readers a series of scenes that were not included in 6-11. All of this relates mostly to the situation befalling the souls on earth who flat out will not repent and come to God even amid their misery. Like the Bible has been telling us since Adam/Eve, there is something wrong with man – and he needs a Savior. This is going on still in Rev. 12ff. Only this time, amid the hailstorm of trouble, man obviously needs a Savior and his behavior across the globe screams, “no way!” at God.
12 – The woman (Israel) is about to give birth to a child (Jesus) and a dragon (Satan) is crouched. waiting to devour the child. We’ve heard of this before? –> Christ the Lord came to earth and Herod immediately went on a hunt to kill Him. 1400 years prior, Moses; “Savior” of the Old Testament era is born and Pharaoh is ready with an edict to kill him. Here, Christ is ready to return to earth and set up His rule and as the preparation and the time is drawing near – what do you know, the Devil Himself is waiting to do violence and block the arrival. He always hates a Savior arriving! The reference of 1,260 days is equivalent to 3+1/2 years; 42 months, This is half the Tribulation Period. The war in heaven when the Dragon is flung to earth and sweeps 1/3 of the stars from the sky, is reminiscent of Ezekiel 28:12ff and Isaiah 14:12ff.; other fascinating comparisons about the Devil’s/Lucifer’s rebellion. This is all trauma in a big way, but the faithful triumph regardless. The dragon on earth soon hunts for the woman who hides in the desert. The dragon wants Israel obliterated, for Israel will deliver the Savior. ‘Sounds like Mary and Joseph fleeing Herod, going through the desert and hiding in Egypt. But the dragon cannot find her so he embarks on killing all her children (those who follow God).
13 – The two beasts of this chapter are prompted by the Devil to overtake the earth. They comprise a diabolical Trinity of deception that is truly powerful and evil. The first beast symbolizes speed, strength and authority on earth in its three animal characteristics equating political power. The heads, crown, thorns are loaded with blasphemy. Some surmise a link when cross-referencing this beast with Daniel 2:33, and 40-43 plus Dan. 7:7, and 7:24. The head wound/healed is intimated in Gen. 3:15. This is his duping of the wounded, dead and risen Christ. And the beast gets the whole world to believe and follow him. He’s a demon-possessed politician; the antichrist. The second beast lives to further get the decieved to follow the first beast. It poses as a lamb yet is a false prophet. Notice the desperate attempt to imitate Christ while fighting Him and scheming to kill the people of earth?! This second beast forces all to register and receive a 666 mark. It is a trinitarian number … but one shy of 777. That is the Devil: faking it, close in resemblance to the work of God, similar enough to deceive, yet way offthe truth. Think of it, God told us this liar is coming. He told us near two millennia ago, so that no one is deceived. People getting deceived by this beast is going to be no fault of God. It’s strange and sad how people enjoy being lied to, isn’t it?
14 – This chapter gives us the big picture through the end of the book. Then ch. 15ff fills in the rest of the details to the end of history as we know it. Just keep in mind that the chronology of the visions given in ch. 14 and the matching visions given in greater detail from 15 onward are not presented in the same order. We are told of the 144,000 faithful who have not succumbed to worldliness, the evangelizing/preaching to the whole world, the doom of those who are committed to Babylon and will fall with it. There are the doomed who worship the Beast. Those who died in the Lord in this difficult era are blessed; assured of Eternal Life [‘remember Rev. 6:9-11?]. There’s the gospel Harvest, and by contrast there’s the bitter harvest; the grapes of God’s wrath. The blood is going to flow deep and far … on a biblical scale. Again, 14 is the overview, 15-19 is the fill-in of the chaos
15 – The seven angels and the last seven disasters are announced. However there is a stirring worship announcement and interlude before the flood of the final seven disasters pour down. It is a victorious song that assured the saints that the coming terrible plagues were not for them. God was NOT angry at His own. The fact that no one can enter His Temple during this time is most likely the assertion that none should even try to avert these coming judgments. Humanity has been so evil for so many millennia, that nothing but judgment is going to work on these marauders. Time to let the punishment fall! No one shall be pitied.
16 – The seven judgments roll out as such: 1] boils/sores on all who have 666 2] death reigns over the water as the sea turns to blood 3] all fresh water turns to blood 4] the sun/solar flares create great heat on earth to scorch. 5] there is great darkness and pain on humanity 6] matches the other sixth trumpet where the 200Million man army crossed the Euphrates River and marches on the land of God. In this one, the Euphrates going dry makes the sixth trumpet able to happen. This army is gathered by false prophets that emerged like frogs and, well, we just read it. Crazy stuff! 7] The grand finale~ is natural disasters of earthquakes, signs in the sky, and 100 lb. hailstones doing colossal damage, destruction and killing. The earthquakes level every building, every mountain, every island on earth. Imagine what they did to this army of 200Million. Thus all the blood. And here as through all the other calamities, the people are cursing God.
17 – Next we are shown [in long form] what is going to happen to Babylon, The Great; The Prostitute that leads the whole world astray; that delights in perverting people and deceiving plus killing God’s faithful who profess Jesus..
This is symbolized by a woman riding a red beast. Keep a distinction in your thinking, the two beasts introduced in ch. 13 are: -Babylon The Great & -Mystery Babylon. B/G is the political system. M/B is the false religious system. Satan loves manipulating people through corrupt politics and liars operating within a religious system. [And did you know that people argue about politics and religion?] The red beast this woman rides has seven heads and ten horns. These heads and horns correlate to things on earth; Mountains which are kings and kingdoms. Oddly, the beast is not here, then here, then dies, then rises again – notice the imposter is still mocking Christ through trying to duplicate. The seven mountains are kings that actually become eight kings. Their timing, operations, and interrelationship is as tangled as an angry octopus. The ten horns are kings that will come and cooperate with the beast for a short time to war against the Lamb of God and His Jesus-followers. The ten horns will be defeated. Btw, the prostitute has sway over all people, tribes and languages but then is going to be devoured and incinerated by these 10 horns/kings who actually hate her. Yes the timing of ch’s 17&18 is very tangled. And take note that the entities under the Devil’s domain devour eachother, as is typical.
We will finish this section on “Babylon”, then the Final Judgment, and Heaven upon completing the Bible next week. And we are all encouraged to shout “halelujah”.
The changes, the trauma, the wild things coming that we read about each day are going to be huge beyond what you have ever known. So you better hang on to God. Hear this! – – You BETTER hang on to God.
-Deuteronomy 29:1 – 31:29 – The time in the desert is drawing to a close. Moses leadership will soon be gone. All you have ever known since Egypt is Moses. And he’s departing! Dilemma’s approach. Life and Death are offered to you (both of them want you!). Battles are coming on the horizon for you. Things are going to get “hairy”! So you better hang on to God.
-Nehemiah 13 – Esther 4 – What was facing the Jewish people in Europe in the 1930s and 40s was looming for them in Esther’s day yet more bold and imminent. Haman wanted them all dead, now. And Haman had the king’s ear. Death was approaching fast and it would come at the hands of the world’s toughest empire who had all the Jews as captives. There was no one ‘else’ to call for help. It was time to hang on to God.
-Song of Solomon 1-4 – this may seem peculiar to assert that these two must hang on to God. Yet it is imperative. Millions of people on earth are murderously angry at those they have shared erotic experiences with. We either invite God into our love lives, and follow His directive and invitation or we keep Him away at these junctures. Then what was supposed to make us so happy creates a trap of misery. So hang on to God and feel the love.
-Ezekiel 44-46 – The Rebuilt Temple is a reality that is true yet ethereal in its timing. Students of Scripture are not sure when exactly this Temple is to take place. Yet it is apocalyptic; to be revealed later. Whenever it is, we want to be in and about God’s business when He is doing this, not preoccupied with lesser things. Best way to be involved with Him is to be with Him; hanging on to Him so to take part in the things of God.
-Malachi 1,2 – The Hebrews are back in Israel, following the Exile. The Babylonian seige was 140 years ago. But all is not well. They are not honoring God, His rules, the Temple, the sacrifices, the offerings, nor eachother. And they are acting weird toward God when He confronts them. God is warning them that they better hang on to Him; don’t break trust with Him like they were doing. Remember, God knows how to send enemies on the disobedient.
-John 19 – Ad Jesus is crucified, the 12 were being walked through their toughest assignment ever. They would lose their leader, their God, teacher, healer, mentor/coach, dearest of friends. Now what? They had planned to go on with Him and build a whole new world. But He’s dead. And things were not going to make sense for a bit. Now what do they do but hang on to God?
-Revelation 12-17 – As the world is taken in to its most cataclysmic era since Noah’s flood, the worst of events are stacked and ready to happen. This is Tribulation Part II and it is simultaneous with the first phase explained in Rev. 6-11. It’s beyond horrible. The world is becoming a virtually uninhabitable place, and yet people still live here. ‘You noticed the subtle verses between all the mayhem where the people who follow Jesus are protected?
What are they hanging onto?