Open, Not Just Another Book on Revelation: Volume 2

OPEN

Not Just Another Book on Revelation

Volume 2

June Yates Baker

Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. Revelation 22:10

OPEN

Not Just Another Book on Revelation, Volume 2

By June Yates-Baker

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 1996, 2014, June Yates Baker

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphasis placed on Scripture with the use of bold print, underline, and/or italics is that of this teacher.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note - Since this is a continuation from Volume 1 of the complete study of Revelation, chapter numbers begin with 8. Chapters 1 - 7 are in Volume 1.

Introduction

Chapter 8 - The Seventh Trumpet Judgment (Rev. 11:15 - 13:18)

A. The Trumpet Sounds

B. The Woman, The Dragon, The War In Heaven

C. Six Hundred Threescore and Six (666)

Chapter 9 - The Gathering, The Warning, and The Harvest (Rev. 14:1 - 20)

A. The Gathering

B. The Messages of the Three Angels

C. The Harvest and the Winepress

Chapter 10 - The Vial Judgments (Rev. 15:1 - 16:2)

A. Prelude to the Vials

B. The First Bowl Emptied on the Earth

C. The Second Angel Pours Upon the Sea

D. The Third Vial on the Rivers and Streams

E. The Fourth Vial is Emptied on the Sun

F. The Fifth Vial on the Seat of the Beast

G. The Sixth Vial on the Euphrates River

H. Unclean Spirits Go Forth

I. The Final Bowl Poured Into the Air

Review

About the Author

Contact

Introduction

In Volume 1 we experienced the rapture of the church as the saints of God were called away from this earth to escape His wrath. We then lived through the first 3 1/2 years of the seven year tribulation period, filled with earth shattering events. The seven seal judgments, the first six trumpet judgments, and the parenthetical events including the sealing for protection of 144,000 Jews, the rejoicing in Heaven of the souls of those saved during the tribulation, the mighty angel with the scroll and the voices of seven thunders (whose sayings were sealed), all took place in that 3 ½ year time frame. Also, sometime in the extreme latter portion of that same period, Enoch and Elijah were sent back to earth to begin their ministry of prophecy and testifying, primarily to the Israelite nation, in an attempt to turn men and families to God.

At the same time, the antichrist broke his peace treaty with Israel and set himself up as God in the Jewish temple. This exposed his true evil characteristics to the Jewish people and the rest of the world, at least to those not falling under his hypnotic spell of deception.

Volume 2 picks up with the seventh trumpet jugment. We hear that trumpet sound at the end of the 3 1/2 years, the middle of the tribulation period with even more dreadful results than we have heretofore experienced.

Note: Because Volumes 1-4 are actually one study of the revelation, Chapter numbers in this volume begin with 8. Chapters 1-7 were covered in Volume 1.

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Chapter 8

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT (CHAPTERS 11:15 – 13:18)

The seventh trumpet has been given its own chapter rather than combined with the other six only because it contains several different events, each one of worldwide importance. Its length and complexity can be more easily addressed by separating it from the other trumpet judgments.

A.The trumpet sounds.

Revelation 11:15-19

15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

The seventh angel sounded (vs. 15). This is the blowing of the seventh, or last, of the seven trumpets of judgment. The blowing of this trumpet brings in the third and final woe, as which the 5th, 6th, and 7th trumpets are referred.

Those who believe the rapture of the church will take place at the half-way point of the tribulation period often use this Scripture as their support. However, this is not the last trump of God what will sound at the time of the rapture.

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of any eye, at the last trump: for the

trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we

shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Early in our study we established the fact that the rapture will take place prior to the initiation of the tribulation period. We had several Scriptural references supporting the fact what we, the true church, will not be on earth during any portion of the tribulation period. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9, we read …God hath not appointed us to wrath… The last trump of God is the last trumpet to sound prior to the pouring out of His judgment, or wrath, upon the earth. It is a trumpet of salvation, victory and rescue as all those counted worthy to escape will be taken away. The trump of God is a victorious trumpet as opposed to this last angel’s trumpet which has been preceded by wrath, will be followed by wrath, and is, itself, a trumpet of woe.

Proleptic prophecy (vs. 15, 18). The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord…, …thy wrath is come…

A proleptic statement is one regarding future events as so certain that it is spoken as though they have already come to pass. The great voices (unidentified) and the 24 elders are not telling us that all of the events of verses 15 and 18 are coming to pass at this moment. We will see the fulfillment of their words over the remaining 3 ½ years of the tribulation and following. They know, however, that God is now implementing the final phase of His plan to rid the earth of evil and establish His reign on earth for all eternity. They can see these things as already done simply because God has spoken it.

Another example of proleptic prophecy is that about Christ, written approximately 700 years before He was even born:

Isaiah 53:3-10

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

There are no will be’s or will do’s in this entire passage about Jesus’ sufferings and death, even though it was written long before His birth. God spoke these words to Isaiah, and they were therefore done as far as Isaiah was concerned.

It is with that same degree of confidence (faith) we should speak of everything God has promised His children. We are victorious (Psalm 101:21, 28). Our households are saved (Acts 16:31). We are healed (Isaiah 53:5), and our every need is supplied (Philippians 4:19). Once God has said it, it is done. If we could just learn to speak proleptically, more of God’s power would be manifest in our lives.

The praise and worship of the Elders (vs. 16, 17). Again we see the 24 Elders fall to their faces as they praise and worship God. Even with everything that is going on down on earth, with Satan at large and the antichrist in power, they sing praises unto God. They know He is really the one in control.

They praise Him for being eternal – the only one who was, is, and will be forever. They give thanks to God for His great power against which no enemy can stand. Almighty here is translated literally as the Almighty. He is the Almighty, the only all powerful God who will reign forever. They see Him as He reigns eternally, standing victorious and sharing that victory with all who have loved and been faithful to Him.

There can never be enough said about praise and worship to the Lord or the power contained therein. It should be enough to know that God inhabits His praise, so if we want to be in His presence, we will praise Him. The praise of the Elders is a lesson to us that no matter what our natural eyes see, no matter what we are walking through, no matter how strong the hand of the enemy feels at the moment, we are to remember that God is in control. God reigns, and will reign forever. We need to look beyond the present moment into the days ahead when our victory is made manifest – and PRAISE HIM!

The time has come (vs. 18, 19). The 24 elders proclaim the time has come that several things will occur. First, they see that the nations were angry.

Psalm 2:1-5

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Out of greed and the desire to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, man rebels against God. They become angry with God and attempt to break away from His power. The nations (people) have been angry with God for centuries. This anger and rebellion has intensified throughout the first half of the tribulation, and will continue to worsen during the final half as He speaks to them in His wrath, expressing His sore displeasure in their sinful, rebellious lives.

The elders then see that the wrath of God has come.

Matthew 3:7

But when he (John the Baptist) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Zephaniah 1:14-18

14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Revelation 6:17

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Old and New Testament prophets, and Jesus Himself, speak of a day when God will no longer tolerate the disrespect, the rejection and the rebellion He receives from mankind. A day when He will pour out His wrath upon all those remaining on earth. As we study the most detailed prophecy of that time, Revelation, we are envisioning how terrible it will be for those who experience this final wrath of God. No matter how hard we try to comprehend and imagine, there is no way we can truly grasp the full measure of horror during the tribulation period.

At this point in our study, God has already begun to send forth judgment. At the loosing of the first seal, He began to pour out His wrath upon mankind. His completing process will continue for yet another 3 ½ years, being more severe now against those who have continued to rebel even after all the mighty works of God they have seen.

Next, we are told the time has come that the dead should be judged.

Acts 10:42

And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Daniel 7:10

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him (God): thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Psalm 50:6

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.

The wicked dead will be resurrected and brought before the great white throne of God to be judged. Everyone will be judged according to their deeds while here on earth. Just rewards (good/bad) will be given. Judgment day for sinners will occur following the millennial reign of Christ. We will study that day in detail when we reach Revelation 20.

And that God should reward His servants the prophets, the saints, and those that fear His name, small and great. We talk much about the rewards God has prepared for the true saints, rewards beyond the imaginative power of our finite minds. We wait with anticipation for the day when God will give to us a robe and crown, and just to hear Him say, Well done. Again, we will look at the rewards for the saints later in Revelation, as that time comes to pass in our study. For now, we must note that all who are faithful to God, from Adam to the last human born on earth, will be included in God’s rewards. All those who truly fear the name of God, regardless of how long they were saved and regardless of earthly stature or status.

Finally, the elders point out that the time has come that God should destroy those who destroy the earth. Satan is the destroyer. He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Remember that the name of the angel of the bottomless pit (Abbaddon/Apollyon), who serves as king over the demon locusts, mans destruction and destroyer. The antichrist and all other followers of Satan, whether mortal or supernatural, are also included as those who destroy the earth. God has and does destroy, but only as an act of judgment or purging. God is the creator and giver of life. Satan seeks to senselessly destroy God’s creation.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

The final act of God’s destruction of those who destroy the earth will take place after the millennial reign and will be studied further at that point in Revelation.

John now sees the heavenly temple of God open (vs. 19), and inside the temple he sees the ark of God’s covenant, which means testament. At the time John was given this revelation, the ark of the covenant as constructed by Moses had already been lost or destroyed. It was a golden, rectangular box that contained the tables on which the commandments of God had been written. The ark was placed into the Holy of Holies, and symbolized God’s covenant with the people of Israel. It was Israel’s most sacred and guarded object.

Many people believe that the earthly ark is not lost at all, that it is actually the one John now sees in heaven having been removed from the earth and protected by God. I would never say that is not possible, with God all things are possible.

However, what we see now is likely a heavenly ark. We learned previously that God had Moses build a temple patterned after the Heavenly temple of God (Hebrews 8:5). John is now again permitted to view the heavenly temple and ark of His testimony for himself.

What does God hold in His heavenly ark? All saints of God have entered into a covenant with Him. The Old Testament saints, through the old covenant consisting of animal sacrifices and the keeping of the law. As New Testament saints, our covenant is through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the keeping of His commandments through the grace of God.

The book of Hebrews speaks much about the old and new covenants between God and man. The old covenant, not being faultless, has vanished away (Hebrews 8:7, 13). Jesus is the mediator for a better covenant which was established upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6).

It is possible the ark of the covenant in the heavenly temple contains reminders of both the old and new covenants, since both Old and New Testament saints will be in Heaven. For sure this ark at least symbolizes the new and better covenant brought about by the shedding of Jesus’ blood for the remission of our sins.

Regardless of its heavenly contents, the sight of the ark in itself is a reminder to everyone of God’s laws, His promises, and His mercy.

Again, a heavenly scene is concluded with voices, thundering and lightning. And again, these are the sounds of impending judgment. This time, though, they are intensified and the earth is affected as there is also great hail and an earthquake. The worsening of these judgment announcers indicate a worsening of the judgments themselves as we enter the time of Jacob’s trouble.

Jeremiah 30:7

Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble: but he shall be saved out of it.

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B.The Woman, The Dragon, The War in Heaven

Revelation 12:1-17

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John now sees the first major event of the seventh trumpet. This portion of the revelation is different than the previous ones in that it is told symbolically. The word wonder in verses 1 and 2 is translated from the Greek word semeion, which literally means sign. John saw signs, or symbols, representing people and events that take place literally.

The woman (vs. 1). John first sees a woman clothed with the sun and wearing a crown of twelve stars, her feet resting upon the moon. This woman symbolizes Israel, the nation.

Joel 3:2

I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Over the centuries Jewish people were scattered among many nations, often as God sent judgment upon Israel for their wicked ways. The people remain scattered today. However, many have