Recap

So far in Revelation, we've read through the messages to the seven churches, the courtroom scene, and started the three sets of seven divine judgements. Revelation, attributed to John, reveals the spiritual battles behind earthly struggles, asking: will you choose light or darkness? Addressed to seven churches, it presents Jesus as ruler of kings, cleansing believers through his blood, and uniting Daniel 7’s imagery of God and the Son of Man.

John described seven lampstands symbolising churches and stars for their angels, with Jesus commissioning him to deliver messages. Ephesus needed renewal, Smyrna was encouraged to stay faithful, Pergamum and Thyatira faced corruption, Sardis needed revival, Philadelphia was promised protection, and Laodicea was urged to recognise spiritual poverty. These messages reminded believers of the spiritual battle and called for repentance.

After addressing the churches, John saw heaven’s throne, with twenty-four elders symbolising humanity’s restored role as co-rulers with God. Living creatures worshipped God alongside the elders.

John noticed a scroll of judgement sealed seven times and wept when none could open it. An elder declared the Lion of Judah worthy, but John saw a slaughtered lamb with seven horns, symbolising authority. The lamb’s blood redeemed people from all nations, making them a kingdom of priests. Worship of the lamb spread to angels and all creation.

The lamb opened the seals, initiating the first of three cycles of seven judgements. The first four seals brought the horsemen, war, conflict, famine, and death. The fifth revealed martyred believers awaiting God's plan, and the sixth unleashed apocalyptic upheaval, signalling final judgement.

Between the sixth and seventh seals, John sees believers marked with God’s seal and a vast, multi-national crowd in white robes, purified by the lamb’s blood. The seventh seal brought silence, interpreted as awe, worship, or shock. An angel offered incense, representing believers’ prayers, before casting altar fire to the earth, signalling the Day of the Lord.

The seven trumpets echoed elements of Egypt's plagues. They represented divine warnings throughout history be that calamities, upheavals, war, or the consequences of idolatry. Between the sixth and seventh trumpets, an angel announced the seventh will reveal God’s mystery and final judgement.

John measured the temple, symbolising believers as God’s true temple. We got references to three and a half years, which is half of seven. As seven signifies completeness, three, and a half was shorthand for saying a period of time that will be cut short.

Two witnesses representing the church prophesied with power but were seemingly defeated by a beast. Like Jesus, the church will rise again, leading to the seventh trumpet declaring Jesus’ eternal reign and God’s presence fully revealed.

John Then switched to describing signs and symbols revealing a spiritual battle. A woman, representing God’s people, gave birth to a son, Jesus, destined to rule. A red dragon, identified as Satan, sought to destroy the child but failed as the child was taken to God, and the woman fled to safety.

The dragon waged war in heaven, defeated by Michael and cast to earth, where it persecuted God’s people. Two beasts arose: one, representing oppressive empires, blasphemed and ruled, while the other promoted its worship. The mark of the beast symbolised allegiance to these powers, contrasting God’s mark on believers.

These visions portrayed worldly powers as tools of spiritual evil, oppressing believers but ultimately destined for defeat in God’s final victory.

Revelation 14-16

In this midst of this dark period of persecution and destruction from the beast John then looks and sees the lamb standing on mount Zion, the idealised centre of God’s kingdom. With him are 144,000 with God’s name written on their forehead. Again, being twelve times twelve times 1,000, 144,000 is a number that signifies the fullness of God’s people.

They have not received the mark showing their loyalty to the beast. Their loyalty is to God. And heaven speaks with great authority and power, and the elders and living creatures start to sing God’s praise, a song that only those loyal to him can sing. These that have been loyal to God are blameless.

We then get three angels bringing messages of hope to every nation and tribe. The first is described as having an eternal gospel. This angel calls all people to worship the God of the heavens and the earth. Next up is an angel who declares that Babylon the great is dead. Babylon is the biblical depiction of the ultimate empire of oppression and evil.

The third angel then speaks judgement on those with the mark of the beast who have been loyal to the beast. There will be a pouring out of the wine of God’s wrath, drawing on Old Testament imagery of final judgement (Psalm 60:3. Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15-18).

This leads to a call for all believers to endure. Heaven itself declares that even those who die for Jesus are blessed. John is highlighting the decision between being loyal to empires and power or loyalty to God. One leads to judgement. The other life in God, even if it means death in this life.

Then John sees one like the son of man, which is Jesus. Jesus is holding a sickle, a tool for harvesting, in his hand and an angel declares now is the time to start the harvest and so Jesus begins to harvest. It may be that this is Jesus claiming his believers, leaving those loyal to the beast left.

Now other angels come out with sickles and harvest the grapes that remain and tread these into the wine of God’s wrath. The imagery is graphic with a giant wine press pouring out wine for miles. This is drawing on imagery from Joel 3:13 and Isaiah 63:1-6 where the winepress is a symbol of God’s judgement and wrath.

We then get seven more angels with seven more plagues. This is the final set of seven. John then sees “what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.” (Revelation 15:2).

This scene may be a call back to Exodus 15, where the Israelites stood at the side of the Red Sea after it had swallowed up and destroyed the Egyptians, singing God’s praise. All nations should come and sing God’s praise.

Then, just like the Israelites had a tent of meeting in the wilderness, John sees the seven angels come out of a temple of the tent of meeting. They are given seven bowls, and the temple is filled with God’s presence.

And so the third round of seven judgements begins. The first bowl leads to painful sores for those who are loyal to the beast, similar to the boils of the sixth plague of Egypt (Exodus 9:8-12). The second and third bowls turn the seas and the rivers into blood like the second trumpet and like the first plague of Egypt (see Revelation 8:8, Exodus 7:14-25). The third angel declares that God is giving these people blood to drink for the blood they have shed.

The fourth bowl caused the sun to scorch people with fire, but still they wouldn’t repent and turn to God. The fifth bowl caused darkness over the land like the fourth trumpet and the ninth plague of Egypt (Revelation 8:12, Exodus 10:21-29).

The sixth bowl causes the river Euphrates to dry up and frogs to come from the mouths of the dragon and the beasts like the second plague of Egypt (Exodus 8:1-15). These frogs represent evil spirits causing problems before assembling at a place called Armageddon. 

Armageddon literally means “the mountain of Mageddon” or “Megiddo”. This was a city that was located on an important north-south passage and so we often fought over. This meant it was the site of many ancient battles. The armies are forming for battle.

Finally, the seventh bowl is poured and we are back to the Day of the Lord imagery with thunder, lighting, and earthquakes. Babylon is shattered, God’s wrath is poured out, and great hailstones fall from the sky.

Again, these passages are reiterating the experiences of every generation in light of this great spiritual war. As they reiterate the curses on those who a loyal to the beast, and the blessings over those who are loyal to God, it further raises the questions for the reader, which side are you going to be on in this great spiritual war?

Psalm 43

Many believe Psalm 42-43 were originally one psalm, as they both share the same refrain. We’ve mentioned multiple times that Biblical lament involved bringing God your complaint and struggles, ask God to intervene, and declare your trust in God. 

In Psalm 42, the psalmist shared their struggles and made declarations of trust, but they never asked God to intervene. That request appears here in Psalm 43. 

Psalm 43:1-4 - A prayer for deliverance

Psalm 43:5 - Why are you downcast my soul

Having worked through their emotions in Psalm 42, the psalmist is now ready to ask God to break in to their situation. They ask God to defend them and protect them from those who would wish them harm.

They also begin to interrogate God. Why is that God seems far? Why is that the psalmist is suffering at the hands of their enemy? We may feel scared to ask God these kinds of questions, but he would much rather us bring the questions to him than let them sit inside us chewing away at our faith.

The psalmist asks God to send out his light and truth. They are drawing on God’s character, asking him to be faithful to who he is. The psalmist’s desire? To once again be brought into God’s presence. That’s all they want. To experience the joy they know comes from God.

So one last time the psalmist speaks to themself, to encouraging themself to continue to hope in God.