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...
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Revelation: Take and Eat
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 10:1-11 The context of this chapter is the interlude between the sounding of the sixth trumpet … in chapter 9 … and the sounding of the seventh trumpet … in the middle of chapter 11. As there was an interlude between the breaking and opening of the sixth and the seventh seals … Revelation 7 … so there is an interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets. These interludes have a literary function, at least, for the readers of this book … as they contemplate what has taken place … and anticipate what is coming in the unfolding...
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Revelation: They Still Did Not Repent
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 9:13-21 This passage contains another description of the horrors brought to humanity during the coming time of tribulation. The sounding of the sixth trumpet will bring the death of a third of the earth's population (Rev 9:18). Like the fifth trumpet, this judgment will be effected by a demonic host that will be released on the earth. The description of these beings, riding frightful horses points to the power they will possess and the lethal effect they will produce … heads like lions and tails like serpents. Whereas the judgment of the...
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Ezekiel: The Father of Lies
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 28:11-19 Origin and fall of Satan Ezekiel 28:11-19 Names and titles of Satan Satan ('adversary') - Job 1,2; 1 Chr 21:1 Devil ('slanderer') - Mt 4:5; 1 Pet 5:8 Beelzebul ('lord of flies') - Mt 12:27; Lk 11:15 Belial ('worthless') - 2 Cor 6:15 Serpent - Gen 3:1; Rev 12:9 Evil One - Jn 17:15; 1 Jn 5:18 Accuser of the brothers - Rev 12:10 Prince of the power of the air - Eph 2:2 god of this world - 2 Cor 4:4 Tempter - Mt 4:3; 1 Thes 3:5 Liar, Father of lies - Jn 8:44 Angel of light - 2 Cor 11:14 Purpose of Satan - to oppose God and His purposes...
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Revelation: The Locusts From Hell
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 9:1-12 The seventh seal on the great heavenly scroll introduces the seven trumpets of judgment. The seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowls of final judgment. The first four trumpets bring calamity on earthly elements … land, sea, rivers, and light. The fifth and sixth trumpets … the first two of three ominous 'woes' … unleash demonic powers of destruction. Reminiscent of the prophet Joel, John describes demonic activity in terms of a plague of locusts (Rev 9:1-3). The grotesque imagery points to the diabolical power and...
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Revelation: Silence in Heaven
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 8:1-13 The opening of the seventh seal on the heavenly scroll, leads to seven trumpets of increasing divine judgment on the people of the earth … which, in turn, lead to seven bowls of further divine fury of God's holy justice against earth's wicked rebels. With the opening of the seventh seal, Revelation 8:1 says, "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." After all the loud sounds of praise and songs by the inhabitants of heaven (cf. Rev 4:7; 5:2,9-12; 6:10), this long silence seems to be the silence of awe and anticipation of the coming...
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Revelation: Sealed By God
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 7:1-8 In Revelation 7, we have an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. The chapter has in mind two groups of Christians … 144,000 servants of God who are given His seal, and a "great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages." A literal and future interpretation of the 144,000 servants sees this as Jewish Christians, who are raised up, and protected from the earthly calamities, in order to proclaim the gospel during the great tribulation. They are chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel...
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Revelation: From Every Tribe and Tongue
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 7:9-17 Since 1996, one Sunday in November has been designated the "International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church." Exact statistics are hard to determine, but continuing into the 21st century, worldwide, even on the low end of estimates, tens of thousands of Christians are killed every year for the Christian faith … in places like Pakistan, Sudan, North Korea, China, Indonesia, and Iran. Revelation 7 reveals yet another scene in heaven where there is a great assembly of people "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing...
info_outlineScripture 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 reign forever and ever" (Rev 11:15).
Ever since Babel, collective humanity has sought to establish a government without God … whether it is Egypt or Babylon or Rome. John says, "The nations raged," perhaps echoing the language of Psalm 2:1. "The kings of the earth set themselves . . . against the LORD" (Psa 2:2).
But one of these days, the rule of humanity on the earth will give way to the rule of the Creator of all things. This is reason for hope and joy and gratitude in our souls. "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign" (Rev 11:17).