| By Andy Moyle | 1 min 28 secs | 0 Comments
The cycles of judgement have ended! One of the angels comes to John to show him how Babylon, the beast and the prostitute come to a sticky end. In chapter 17 we see how Babylon is the counterfeit church, just as Satan, the beast and the prostitute are a counterfeit trinity. Babylon is corrupt; the church […]
| By Andy Moyle | 1 min 44 secs | 0 Comments
It feels like it’s getting very repetitive! And that’s the point. John is telling the story of the end, leading to the judgement, from different perspectives, rather than giving us a linear timeline of events. After all how many last battles can there be? (6:16-17; 15:1; 16:14) The first bowls are similar to the first […]
| By Andy Moyle | 1 min 19 secs | 0 Comments
The seven bowls are similar to the seven trumpets – the first four will result in devastation of the four regions of the creation – land, sea, fresh water and sky and they are similar to the Exodus plagues. Where the trumpets affected a third of their area, the bowls affect the whole. The seven […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 6 secs | 0 Comments
The 144,000 represents all believers in their completeness, just like in chapter 7. Here sexual purity is a symbol for spiritual purity. Christ’s followers have been made righteous by Jesus and as a pure bride have kept themselves from Babylon, the prostitute and beast! Of course sexual purity is one aspect of spiritual purity, as […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 57 secs | 0 Comments
The beast rises out of the sea, representing a persecuting power – a demonised state – its description is hideous, yet people choose to worship it instead of the loving creator and Father God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in Daniel 3, experienced this kind of state. While western democracies don’t insist on literal worship, citizens […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 5 secs | 0 Comments
The third cycle is made up of seven symbols or signs, which aren’t numbered, but tell us of the histories of seven key symbolic characters – the dragon, the beast, the false prophet, the 144,000, angelic announcers and the Son of Man. Again it leads up to the second coming in 14:14-20. Opposing the Lord […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 2 secs | 0 Comments
The second part of the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet is the two witnesses. They are like Moses and Elijah, performing miracles. They are like two olive trees and two lampstands, recalling Zechariah 4:1-14. They represent the Lord on earth standing against the beast. Who are they? 1) Two prophets who were martyred […]
| By Andy Moyle | 1 min 3 secs | 0 Comments
The Roman Empire was fearful of attack on in its eastern flank, beyond the Euphrates, by the Parthians. That is dwarfed by Revelation 9:13f. There’s opportunity to repent still, but nations and individuals that give themselves to idolatry and the worship of power and conquest may find themselves overwhelmed by military judgement – think Babylon, […]
| By Andy Moyle | 1 min 32 secs | 0 Comments
Seven angels blow seven trumpets in the second cycle of judgements leading up to the second coming! Trumpets led to the fall of the city of Jericho, these likewise lead to the fall of the worldly city. The first five trumpets echo the Exodus plagues. And just like in Exodus, the plagues don’t lead to […]