Get your own Free Home PageI feel it necessary to tell you why I began this study of one of the most challenging books of the Bible. It began when a co-worker of mine, Mrs. Laney, drew me aside and asked me two simple questions.The first was what do you believe about the 'end times'. I quickly responded 'I believe in the pre-tribulational/pre-millenial view.' Then she asked: why? After thinking about it, the only response I could give was 'because that was what I was told.' She shared with me a different point of view (I didn't know there was a different point of view to be had! )and challenged me to study the book of Revelation for myself. During my study, I changed my view several times, but eventually adopted a modified version of the pre-millenial/pre-tribulational view of the end times.
To start, I had to allow myself to take the Bible at face value, not assume that what my teachers told me was correct, and pray for understanding. Second, I had to familiarize myself with the Book of Revelation. To be honest, the first few times I read the Book of Revelation, it made little, if any, sense to me at all. Third, I looked at the Old Testament prophets that appeared to be relevant to an end times study (that is, those prophetic books where the words " latter days" , " end times" or " time of Jacob's trouble" occurred). Fourth, I reviewed the Olivet Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew. With this reading under my belt, I ventured into the most rewarding study of the Bible in my entire life. I hope this blesses you as you review it.
--Kenneth Siwek
I. The things which thou hast seen
A. Introduction and greetings
# Rev 1:1-8
B. The vision of Jesus Christ
# Rev 1:9-20
II. The things which are
[NOTE: look at how Jesus judges His churches and then
determine how we would judge them. The best examples
are Ephesus and Laodicea.]
A. Letter to Ephesus
# Rev 2:1-7
B. Letter to Smyrna
# Rev 2:8-11
C. Letter to Pergamos
# Rev 2:12-17
D. Letter to Thyatira
# Rev 2:18-24
E. Letter to Sardis
# Rev 3:1-6
F. Letter to Philadelphia
# Rev 3:7-13
G. Letter to Laodicea
# Rev 3:14-22
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III. The things which shall be hereafter - The Heavenly Scene
A. Description of the heavenly throne room
i. the throne and He that sits on it
# Rev 4:2,3
ii. twenty-four seats and the elders
# Rev 4:4
iii. the four living creatures
# Rev 4:6-8
iv. the worship of God by the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders
# Rev 4:8-11
B. The book and the Lamb
i. description of the book in the right hand of him
who sits upon the throne
# Rev 5:1
ii. call for a worthy one to take the book and loose
the seals
# Rev 5:2-4
iii. the Lamb takes the book and is worshipped
# Rev 5:5-14
a. twenty-four elders worship with new song
b. angels worship
c. every creature in heaven, on earth, under the
earth and in the seas worship
d. the four living creatures "Amen" and the
twenty-four elders worship again
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IV. The things which shall be hereafter - The Seals
A. The seals
i. first seal - the "conqueror"
# Rev 6:1,2
a. rides white horse, holding a bow
b. given a crown
ii. second seal - war
# Rev 6:3,4
a. rides red horse
b. power was given to him to take peace from the
earth that men should kill one another
c. given a great sword
iii. third seal - famine
# Rev 6:5,6
a. rides black horse, holding a pair of balances
b. voice in the midst of four living creatures
instructs "a measure of wheat for a penny,
three measures of barley for a penny; do not
harm the oil or the wine"
iv. fourth seal - death and hell
# Rev 6:7,8
a. rides pale horse
b. power given them over a fourth part of the
earth
(1) to kill with sword
(2) to kill with hunger
(3) to kill with death
(4) to kill with the beasts of the earth
v. fifth seal - martyrs' cry comes before the Lord
# Rev 6:9-11
a. under the altar were the souls of them that
were slain for the word of God and for the
testimony they held
[NOTE: take note that the LOCATION of the
martyrs is UNDER THE ALTAR. This corresponds
to the location of the fire and coals that
consume the sacrifice. I compare this section
to the section "The Two Harvests" later where
the angel who has the power over fire calls
from the altar to harvest the 'clusters of the
vine of the earth' which are then cast into the
winepress of the wrath of God.]
b. they cry "how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost
thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth?"
c. white robes are given to them and they are
instructed to wait a while until their fellow
servants and bretheren are killed as they were
vi. sixth seal
[NOTE: Herein is my peculiar view of the seals. I
believe that the events of Chapter 7 are related
to the sixth seal. The events as described in
Joel are those which are ".. before the coming of
the great and the terrible day of the LORD .."
are the events listed in section "a" below.
Close on this event is the sealing of the elect
Israelites concurrently with the rapture of the
church.]
a. The events on earth - "day of the Lord" a la
Joel
# Rev 6:12-17; Joel 2:30,31
(1) earthquake
(2) sun became black as sackcloth
(3) moon became as blood
(4) stars fell to the earth
(5) heaven departed as a scroll
(6) mountains and islands are moved from their
place
(7) men cry out to mountains (?) and rocks to
protect them from the wrath of the Lamb
b. The actions of God regarding His elect
# Rev 7:1-17
(1) 144,000 sealed
(2) white robed multitude before God's throne
vi. seventh seal - silence in Heaven
# Rev 8:1
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V. The things which shall be hereafter - The Trumpets
A. The trumpets
i. trumpets distributed to the seven angels which
stand before God
# Rev 8:2
ii. angel with a censer
# Rev 8:3-5
a. offered incense with the prayers of the saints
b. takes fire from the altar and casts the censer
to the earth
[NOTE: if, in fact, the location of the martyrs
from the fifth seal is significant, then this
section would imply that their prayers were
heard and the judgement has begun. The
question is: does this section FOLLOW the
seventh seal or does it occur between the
fifth and seventh? (I leave the possibility
that the judgements all occur during the
period of the sixth seal.)]
(1) there were voices
(2) thunderings
(3) lightings
(4) an earthquake
iii. first trumpet - hail and fire mixed with blood
burns up 1/3 of trees and green grass
# Rev 8:7
iv. second trumpet - great mountain cast into the seas
turns 1/3 of seas into blood and destroys 1/3 of
all sea creatures and ships
# Rev 8:8,9
v. third trumpet - great burning star from heaven
makes 1/3 of rivers and fountains of water "bitter"
and many men die
# Rev 8:10,11
vi. fourth trumpet - 1/3 of sun, moon and stars are
struck so that there is no light for a 1/3 of the
day and night
# Rev 8:12
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B. Interlude
i. angel(eagle) flying in midheaven cries out "Woe,
woe, woe"
# Rev 8:13
C. Trumpets continued -- the Fifth and Sixth
i. fifth trumpet - star (angel) falls to earth and
unlocks the abyss; locust-like demons/fallen angels
torment men for six months
# Rev 9:1-12
ii. sixth trumpet - four angels bound at the Euphrates
are loosed to kill 1/3 of all men with fire, smoke
and brimstone which proceeds from their horses'
mouths
# Rev 9:13-19
iii. heart of earthdwellers' revealed - they would not
repent
# Rev 9:20
D. Interlude
i. angel with the little scroll
# Rev 10:1-10
ii. the temple measured "but leave out the outer
court: they have been given to the heathen"
# Rev 11:1,2
iii. the two witnesses
# Rev 11:3-14
a. ministry of the witnesses
b. beast overcomes the witnesses
c. God breathes life into them and calls them to
heaven, earthquake destroys 1/10 of the city
E. The Final Trumpet
i. seventh trumpet - Lord takes authority to rule
back, per mighty voices of heaven, ark of the
covenant which is in heaven is revealed
# Rev 11:15-19
[NOTE: compare to sixth seal and seventh bowl.]
a. mighty voices (making proclamation)
b. heaven is opened (ark is revealed)
c. lightning
d. rumblings
e. thunder
f. earthquake
g. great hail
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VI. The things which shall be hereafter - Details concerning
the major players in the end times
A. Interlude/Detail - The woman, the dragon and the child
i. The woman (Eve - the mother of all living,
'clothed' with the nation Israel)
# Rev 12:1,2; Micah 4:9,10
a. clothed with the sun
b. moon under her feet
c. crown of twelve stars on her head
d. in labor, cried out
ii. The red dragon (Satan)
# Rev 12:3,4
a. seven heads
b. ten horns
c. seven crowns upon its heads
d. drew a third part of the stars of heaven and
cast them down to earth.
e. stood before the woman to devour the child.
iii. The man child
# Rev 12:5
a. to rule all nations with a rod of iron
b. was caught up to God and to His Throne
[NOTE: was the man child caught up to God's
throne or to a throne which was His from
before the foundation of the world?]
iv. The woman flees
# Rev 12:6
a. to a place in the wilderness, prepared by God
b. she to be fed and cared for there for 1260 days
v. Michael, the archangel, battles the dragon
# Rev 12:7-9
a. dragon and his angels not strong enough
b. no place was found any longer in heaven for the
dragon and his angels
c. the dragon and his angels were cast down to
earth
vi. Heaven rejoices because the devil is kicked out of
heaven for good!
# Rev 12:10-12
a. God is worshiped
b. woe proclaimed to the inhabitants of the earth.
vii. The dragon and the woman - reprise
# Rev 12:13-17
a. dragon turns to persecute the woman because he
saw that he was cast down
b. woman given two wings that she might fly to
the wilderness, to the place prepared for her
# Micah 4:10
c. dragon sends a flood after the woman but the
earth swallows it
d. dragon wroth with the woman who escaped and
turns on the remant of her seed.
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B. The First Beast
i. description
# Rev 13:1-3a
a. from the sea
b. seven heads
c. ten horns
d. ten crowns upon the horns
e. name of blasphemy written upon his heads
f. beast like a leopard
g. feet of a bear
h. mouth of a lion
i. dragon gave beast his authority and power
[NOTE: keeping Romans 13:1 in mind, that 'the
powers that be are ordained of God', this
passage means that the dragon gave the beast
all of the power at his disposal -- for God
has a purpose that even this ruler be
established.]
j. one head appeared as if wounded unto death
ii. the exploits and powers of the first beast
# Rev 13:3b-8
a. the world follows after the beast
# Rev 13:3b-4
1. world worships the dragon which gave power
to beast
2. world worships the beast saying "who can war
against the beast?"
b. the beast given mouth to speak blasphemy and
given power for forty-two months
# Rev 13:5,6
1. opened his mouth to blaspheme God
2. blasphemed His Name
3. blasphemed His tabernacle
4. blasphemed those who dwell in heaven
c. beast permitted to make war with the saints and
to overcome them
# Rev 13:7a
[NOTE: if these truly are 'saints' then the
word 'overcome' must mean 'persecute unto
death', not 'conquer and utterly destroy' --
or else God's testimony in Revelation 20,
that the 'saints' would rule and reign with
him, would be a lie.]
d. authority given to beast over every tribe,
people, tongue and nation
# Rev 13:7b,8
1. all who dwell on the earth whose name is not
written in the Lamb's book of Life worships
the beast
C. Interlude - A call to the saints
i. "he that leadeth into captivity shall go into
captivity, he that killeth with the sword must be
killed with the sword - Here is the patience of the
saints."
# Rev 13:9,10
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D. The Second Beast
i. description
# Rev 13:11
a. comes out of the earth
b. had two horns like a lamb
c. spoke like a dragon
ii. exercises all authority of the first beast in his
presence
# Rev 13:12a
iii. second beast causes all people of the earth to
worship the first beast
# Rev 13:12b
iv. second beast performs great signs
# Rev 13:13, 14a
1. he causes fire to come from heaven
2. deceives all the people of the earth by these
signs which he was able to do in the sight of
the beast
v. causes people of the earth to make an image to the
beast
# Rev 13:14b, 15
1. second beast permitted to give life to the image
2. caused as many as would not worship the image to
be killed
vi. causes all the people of the earth to take the
mark of the beast
# Rev 13:16-18
1. no one buys or sells without it
2. the number of the beast is 666
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E. The Lamb and the 144,000
# Micah 5:3,4, Zeph 3:8-20
[NOTE: Is this section connected to the section
regarding Christ's return to war against the beast?
(Sec. III:U:i,ii)]
i. Lamb and the 144,000 stand on Mount Zion
# Rev 14:1
a. 144,000 have the Father's name on their forehead
ii. voices from heaven heard
# Rev 14:2
a. sounded like many waters and like a great
thunder
b. the voice of harpers playing on their harps
iii. 144,000 sing a new song before the throne, the
four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
# Rev 14:3
a. only 144,000 could learn the song who were
purchased from the earth
iv. 144,000 described
# Rev 14:4,5
a. not defiled with women
b. follow the Lamb wherever He goes
c. purchased as firstfruits among men
d. no lie is found in their mouth
e. they are without fault before the throne of God
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VI. The things which shall be hereafter - Warnings and
Harvests
A. Three angels testify to the world
(This section is most probably chronological)
i. another (?) angel flying in mid-heaven
# Rev 14:6,7
a. having eternal gospel to preach
b. says "fear God and worship Him"
ii. a second angel followed
# Rev 14:8
a. says "fallen, fallen is Babylon the great"
iii. a third angel follows them
# Rev 14:9-11
a. says "if anyone worships the beast and his
image and receives a mark, he will drink of
the wine of wrath and will be eternally
tormented."
[NOTE: this testimony must occur PRIOR TO or
SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH the second beast's
mandate to take the mark or die or this would
not be the warning that it appears to be --
and warning sinners of impending eternal
damnation is definitely God's style.]
iv. John records the need for patience of the saints
# Rev 14:12,13
a. voice from heaven says "write, blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord from hence forth"
b. Spirit testifies "yea, that they may rest from
their labors and their works do follow them"
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B. The Two Harvests
i. the first harvest - the harvest of the earth
# Rev 14:14-16
a. one like the Son of Man sits on a cloud wearing
a golden crown and holding a sharp sickle
b. angel coming out of the temple crys in a loud
voice "thrust in your sickle and reap...the
harvest of the earth is ripe"
[NOTE: probable reference to the rapture as this
harvest is distinguished from the harvesting of
the 'vine of the earth'. This is probably the
best evidence of a pre-trib or mid-trib
rapture.]
c. the One on the cloud reaped the earth.
ii. the second harvest - the vine of the earth
# Rev 14:17-20; Micah 7:8-13
a. another angel from the temple comes with a
sharp sickle
b. another angel from the altar, with power over
fire, cried out "thrust in thy sharp sickle and
gather the clusters of the vine of the earth,
for her grapes are ripe."
c. angel thrust his sickle into the earth and
gathered the vine of the earth
(1) vine cast into the winepress of the wrath
of God.
(2) winepress was trodden outside the city
(3) blood came out of the winepress up to the
horses' bridle for 1600 furlongs
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VIII. The things which shall be hereafter - The Bowls
A. Preparation for the Seven Bowls
i. seven angels with the seven last plagues in heaven
# Rev 15:1
a. for in them is filled up the wrath of God
ii. sea of glass mixed with fire, people standing on
it
# Rev 15:2-4
a. the people are those who had been victorious
over the beast, the image and over the number
of his name.
b. they hold harps and sing the song of Moses and
the song of the Lamb.
iii. the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in
heaven is opened
# Rev 15:5-8
a. seven angels with the seven last plagues come
out of the temple and are given seven golden
vials filled with the wrath of God
b. temple is filled with smoke from the glory and
power of God
c. no one could enter the temple until the seven
plagues were fullfilled
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B. The seven bowls
i. great voice from the temple commands the seven
angels to pour out the bowls on the earth
# Rev 16:1
ii. First Bowl - poured out on the land; painful sore
appears on the men who have taken the mark of the
beast
# Rev 16:2
iii. Second Bowl - poured out on the sea; sea became
like the blood of a dead man and every living
thing in the sea died
# Rev 16:3
iv. Third Bowl - poured on the rivers; the rivers
became as blood
# Rev 16:4-7
a. the angel of the waters proclaims "righteous
are your judgements for they poured out the
saint's blood and you've given them blood to
drink."
b. altar replys "yes, true and righteous are your
judgements"
v. Fourth Bowl - poured on the sun; sun scourched men
with a fierce heat, men blasphemed God and would
not repent
# Rev 16:8,9
vi. Fifth Bowl - poured out on the throne of the
beast; beast's kingdom plunged into darkness
# Rev 16:10,11
a. people gnawed their tongues because of the
torment
b. people blasphemed God because of the pain and
sores
c. they did not repent
vii. Sixth Bowl - poured out on the Euphrates River;
it was dried up to prepare the way for the kings
of the East
# Rev 16:12
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C. Interlude
i. Three Unclean Spirits, like frogs
# Rev 16:13,14
a. go to collect the kings for battle
b. come from the mouths of the dragon, the beast
and false prophet
c. they are the spirits of demons, working miracles
ii. Message from God
# Rev 16:15
a. states he "comes as a thief"
b. "blessed is he that watches and keeps his
garments"
iii. the kings of the earth are gathered together at
Armageddon
# Rev 16:16
[NOTE: who is the 'he' who gathered them
together?]
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D. The Final Bowl
i. Seventh Bowl - poured out on the air; voice from
the temple says "it is done"
# Rev 16:17-19a
a. voices
b. thunders
c. lightnings
d. greatest earthquake in the history of man
(1) great city divided into three parts; cities
of the nations fell
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