Revelation: The Lamb Will Conquer
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 17 Revelation 17,18 describe, at length, the global kingdom of the antichrist during the coming time of tribulation. We have already seen, in chapter 13, that there will be both a political leader and religious leader in this vast kingdom … the beast, and the false prophet. The political/religious structural system of the kingdom of the antichrist is called 'Babylon' in the book of Revelation. Revelation 17 describes the religious aspect of this global kingdom and chapter 18 describes the political aspect of it. The religious element of the antichrist...
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Revelation: They Cursed God
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 16:1-11 The Nature of the Human Heart Revelation 16 contains the third, and last, series of divine judgments on the population of the earth during the coming day of tribulation. It is a description of the seven bowl judgments. God is declared to be just because He has poured out His wrath on the wicked. "Just are you, O Holy One . . . for you have brought these judgments . . . Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments" (Rev 16:5,6). The overwhelming response of the people of the earth to these frightful, awesome acts of God will be...
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Revelation: The Song of the Lamb
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 15:1-8 Before each of the series of divine judgments on the earth, during the tribulation time, John describes a heavenly scene. The vision of heaven in chapters 4,5 precedes the judgments of the seven seals. The heavenly scene in Revelation 8:2-5 precedes the judgments of the seven trumpets. The bowl judgments will be described in chapter 16, but now, before those final judgments, there is another description of heaven. Beside a heavenly glass-like sea, "those who had conquered the beast" are gathered and they are singing a song (Rev...
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Revelation: The Perseverance of the Saints
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 14:9-20 In the middle of a biblical text about the dreadful wrath of God is a passage designed to be a great encouragement to Christians. Following a passage declaring the God's wrath "poured full strength into the cup of his anger" (Rev 14:10), we read about the "perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus" (Rev 14:12, LSB). The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is the idea that, having been changed at the deepest level of one's being by the Spirit of God, Christians "can neither totally nor finally fall...
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Revelation: The Eternal Gospel
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 13:11-18 A second beast appears in Revelation 13, "exercising all the authority of the first beast . . . and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast" (Rev 13:12). This beast is called the 'false prophet' in Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10. This title suggests that he will bring a religious element to the kingdom of the antichrist. He will have the power to do supernatural acts (Rev 13:13-15). The combination of a political, militaristic leader and an ecumenical religious leader will be a potent force in galvanizing the...
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Revelation: A Call For Endurance
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 13:1-10 Much of the focus of Revelation is on what God will doing on the earth during the time of tribulation. The holy Judge will pour out His righteous justice on the inhabitants of the earth, in a series of horrendous, global judgments. In Revelation 12-14, however, the focus is on what Satan will be doing on the earth during the tribulation. Chapter 13 introduces us to two new figures … the antichrist (Rev 13:1-10) and the false prophet (Rev 13:11-18). Along with the devil, these three form a kind of unholy 'trinity'. The antichrist...
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Revelation: The Defeat of the Dragon
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading; Revelation 12:1-12 To this point in the book of Revelation, much of the focus has been on what God will be doing on the earth during the time of tribulation. God will pour out His holy justice on the inhabitants of the earth, in a series of horrendous, global judgments. In Revelation 12-14, the focus is on what Satan will be doing on the earth during the tribulation. In richly symbolic language, the events and activities of this chapter center around Satan and the people of Israel. Having been cast out of heaven, Satan has opposed the Israelites of old ......
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Revelation: And He Shall Reign Forever And Ever
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11:15-19 In the middle of the horrendous judgments that John is describing in Revelation, he gives his readers a glorious preview of what will take place after God's justice has been fully meted out on the inhabitants of the earth. It is a foretaste of the coming kingdom of Christ, in His reign on this earth. In John's wondrous declaration, there is a stark contrast between the present kingdom of collective humanity and the future kingdom of the King of kings. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall...
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Revelation: Prophets of God's Mercy
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11:1-14 This chapter in Revelation is one of the places in the book in which the interpretive principles of the commentator show through very clearly. Over a century ago, Henry Alford, a reputable New Testament scholar and commentator, wrote that Revelation 11 is "undoubtably one of the most difficult [chapters] in the whole Apocalypse" … and "no solution has ever been given to this portion of the prophecy" (Alford, The Greek Testament, IV:655,658). The approach I have employed in our study of Revelation is to take words and phrases literally whenever it...
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Micah: From The Days Of Eternity
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Micah 5:1-5a There are many prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesus Christ in His first advent, beginning with a very early reference in Genesis 3:15. One of the wonderful predictions of the coming of Christ is found in Micah 5. Micah lived and wrote 700 years before Christ, during a time of rampant wickedness . . . idolatry (Mic 1:7), greed (2:2), thievery (2:2), injustice (3:2,3), falsehood (5:5), bloodshed (3:10). Micah sounds two great messages in this book . . . the consuming judgment of God, on one hand (1:3,4), and the...
info_outlineScripture Reading: Revelation 11:1-14
This chapter in Revelation is one of the places in the book in which the interpretive principles of the commentator show through very clearly. Over a century ago, Henry Alford, a reputable New Testament scholar and commentator, wrote that Revelation 11 is "undoubtably one of the most difficult [chapters] in the whole Apocalypse" … and "no solution has ever been given to this portion of the prophecy" (Alford, The Greek Testament, IV:655,658).
The approach I have employed in our study of Revelation is to take words and phrases literally whenever it is possible to do so … of course, allowing for obvious symbolic language. With that in mind, the terms in this chapter will be taken normally. The temple is a reference to a rebuilt temple, during the time of tribulation … the 'two witnesses' are two individuals … 'great city' is Jerusalem … the 'forty-two months' are a literal three and a half year time period … the earthquake is a literal earthquake.
The two witnesses are prophets (Rev 11:3,6) who have the power to do miracles to buttress their message of God's judgment and salvation, like Old Testament prophets also did. They are sent to proclaim God's message to "peoples and tribes and languages and nations" (Rev 11:9, cf. 10:11). Eventually, like the prophets of old, they will be killed by the enemies of God.
This chapter is another display of God's mercy to an unbelieving world. The prophets of old were always a display of divine mercy in the face of impending judgment. God is patient and faithfully beckons rebels to receive His mercy. It is suicidal folly to love the darkness of evil more than the light of life.