Revelation 8-12 The First Enemy: Jerusalem Greg Bahnsen/ Understanding Scripture {Part 31 of 63}

How about answering this problem? The book is so difficult though you can hardly make it obligatory upon poor run of the mill, you know, six days a week. Pedestrian layman Christians, right? And these poor believers who don't spend their, you know, nights and days studying to teach seminary or to be pastors and so forth, people are just out in the world and have to maintain their Christian testimony. Isn't it too much to require such run of the mill Christians that they study the Book of Revelation? I'm just mouthing to you what I have heard, by the way. That certainly isn't my attitude either toward the lay Christian or his view. Book of Revelation. But it's a book so difficult, how can we expect people to read it? What's that? That's right. The book is not difficult. It's an unveiling of the truth, not an obscuring of the truth. And so where's the difficulty if we don't quite understand the Book of Revelation in the book or in the reader? Obviously it's in the reader. What else can we say about this complaint that the book is so difficult that we can't be expected to read it? That's right. Exactly. Exactly. And does God interpret the Book of Revelation for us? Yeah, we see the three crucial junctures, the first, second and third major visions of the book. God sends an angel to interpret or directly tells John what the meaning of the vision is. Now, of course people can debate the words explaining the vision too, but the fact is God is making it a point to tell us the meaning of the book. So the difficulty of the book cannot be passed off as a reason to ignore the Book of Revelation. I've offered a reason to you last week and in the notes that I passed out for why a lot of people have trouble reading the Book of Revelation. What is that, Greg? Yeah, in a sense that's a self fulfilling prophecy. This is a terribly hard book and obviously if I think anything seems clear, I must be mistaken. And so, you know, they make it out to be a difficult book. But there's another reason why even people who want to interpret the book correctly and, and confidently get misled and it turns out to be difficult for them. Well, they misconstrued the nature of the book. Remember I used this illustration of trying to learn how to build a boat by reading the TV Guide, you know, as though the TV Guide were a musical score or a guide to writing your income tax or something like that. And as if you misconstrue the nature of the Book of Revelation. Undoubtedly, when you read it, it's going to be a great enigma to you. And I think perhaps the greatest misconstrual of the nature of the Book of Revelation is that it's a newspaper history written in advance. That isn't the nature of the book. One, it's not a very literal book. It's a highly figurative and symbolic book. Secondly, it's a drama that is enacted. It's not intended to give us. It's not like a jigsaw puzzle, you know, where you've got to search around and piece all these things together so you can write out a nice little chart about all these enigmatic things that are going to happen in future history. It's a drama. And if you read it as a drama, and you read it as a highly figurative drama, which we ought especially to be able to do in the 20th century, given the history of English and American literature and theater, it shouldn't be so difficult for us especially to see that what we have here is a figurative drama being lived out. This visionary, you know, scheme that John's given and the book follows. Very naturally, I think. What's the theme of the Book of Revelation? Somebody who hasn't spoken yet. I can't assume that the rest of you are asleep. Some of you were here last week. Come on. Now, somebody tell me the theme of the Book of Revelation without looking at your notes. What's the Book of Revelation all about? In one sentence, in one phrase? Yes. The triumph of Christ over his enemies. Or as I put it, the triumph of Christianity over all opposition, which is really saying the same thing. We see that. Notice how the Book of Revelation unfolds. What's the first vision of the Book of Revelation? Whether the first description of Jesus Christ is what? That he is king of kings and that he is king over all the kings of the earth. All right, but then the first vision is that Jesus is sovereignly present in his church. As the Great Commission said, lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. Chapters two and three deal with the letters to the seven churches. And what is the recurring theme in the letters to the seven churches? What is the one thing you'll find in every one of those letters? The call to what? The. The exhortation. To overcome. To be victorious, to triumph. Chapters four and five show us the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God in creation. Chapter four, the sovereignty of God in redemption. Chapter five, the Lamb of God that is slain, the one that is worthy to open what? Worthy to open the book or the scroll that has seven seals. All right. Now, as we start breaking those seven seals, we see major principles of history under the control of Christ. And the first seal is broken and a rider upon a white horse, a victorious horse, the symbol of victory, comes forth riding, conquering, and to conquer Jesus Christ in the midst of his Church. Jesus Christ calling his Church to victory rides forth conquering, conquering and to conquer. And then we see the first enemy defeated, which I will interpret as apostate Jerusalem, and then the second enemy defeated, which is pagan Rome. And then we see that the force behind both of these oppositions to the Christian Church, Satan in chapter 12 and in chapter 20 is cast down and is bound. And in chapter 19 we see that the Gospel is being preached so that all opposition is slain by the sword from the mouth of Jesus Christ. The theme of the book, and then of course, the last two chapters have to do with the consummation of all of God's promises in the new heaven and the new earth. And so the theme is the triumph of Christianity over all opposition, whether it be religious opposition Jerusalem, or pagan opposition in Rome. Political opposition, whether it be Satan, whether it be the unbelieving world, whether it be the forces of history, all opposition is defeated by the triumph of the Church. So that's the theme of the Book of Revelation. When would we date the writing of the Book of Revelation? Prior to 70 A.D. but so many people say that the book is to be dated 96 or thereabouts. Why do people say that? What's the main argument for dating the book in 96? That's right. And what's the difficulty with basing your view of the date of writing on that piece of evidence? That's right. It's only one statement of Polycarp. It's an ambiguous statement of Polycarp. Thirdly, Polycarp is not a very good historian. He insisted Jesus lived to be 50 years old, for instance. And fourthly, that is external evidence. What is the internal evidence of the book? Which is much stronger, of course, if you hold the sola scriptura, the real authority in interpretation is Scripture itself. What's the internal evidence for a pre AD 70 date of the book? Greg? And John is living in the time of the sixth emperor. That's right. Something else that tells you it's prior to A.D. 70. That's right. The prediction of the fall of the Jerusalem Temple. Now, of course, you can say that the book was written in 96 and the prediction of the Jerusalem Temple is the prediction of the fall of a rebuilt temple. Difficulty, of course, is that there's nothing in the book to indicate that the temple is going to be rebuilt and then fall, but that the well known standing temple is going to fall. All right, well, enough. Review the time referent for the fulfillment of the main prophecies. I told you there are four basic positions that you can take in the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Would somebody kind of tell me what those are? Or maybe everybody contribute something, Somebody maybe who hasn't spoken yet. I'm trying to get a little more involvement here. Takes you people a little while to warm up. Very good. The preterist believes that the time referent of the prophecies is what? I didn't hear that. In the near future to John or actually, what does preterism mean? What's the preterist tense? Some language? Yeah, it means past. It's past to us. The main prophecies have been fulfilled in the past. All right, and then Don, you mentioned not only preterism, but futurism. That's a real tough one to figure out. When are the prophecies to be fulfilled according to futurism? Honestly, if somebody who has an answer can't answer that question, then you're not just asleep, you're dead in the future. Well, obviously. And that's the real popular point of view in America among a number of evangelicals who are premillennial and or dispensational. They believe that Book of Revelation holds prophecies for the future still to be fulfilled. Okay, futurism, preterism. You have past, you have future. What is historicism or the historical historicist interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Throughout church history? That's right. The whole span of church history. And then idealism. What is the time referent of the Book of Revelation according to idealism? Going to start calling on some of you who aren't talking to me today. That's right. There is no specific time reference in idealism, but the book deals with ideals, hence the name idealism. Axioms are principles that God uses throughout human history. Now, I argued that preterism is favored by the book itself. That's a bold claim. Obviously, if the book insists upon a preterist interpretation, that settles the issue. But why would I say that? What is the evidence for a preterist interpretation of the Book of Revelation? Yes, the book says the time is at hand. Where does it say that? Chapter one. Is that it though? Maybe chapter one's time is at hand. But the rest of the book goes on from John's day to fill in for us, the future. Right? That's right. The last chapter of the book also says the time is at hand. First chapter says, these are things soon to take place. The last chapter says these are things soon to take place. What am I suggesting? That the whole book is bracketed by the idea that the time is at hand, that the fulfillment of these prophecies is near to John's Day. And of course, that then refutes basically the futurist position and the historicist position and the idealist position. Why does it refute futurism? I start with the easy one. If the time is at hand in John's day, why is futurism wrong? Maybe some of you are dead. I don't know what's going on. That's easy, right? Right. If it is close to John, obviously you can't be far away from us. I mean, in the future, because that would be contradictory. Why is the historicist position undermined by those declarations? Well, the historicist position is nothing but an expansion of futurism, filling in the gap between John's day and the future day. But the point is, the main point of the book is, in John's day, the fall of Jerusalem and the fall of Rome. How about idealism? What's wrong with idealism if the time is at hand? Yeah, that's right. Idealism doesn't see that there is any time to be fulfilled at all, but the time is at hand, and so it is going to be fulfilled in history. Well, but there are some people, as you might have guessed, are not quite willing to take it on just those simple terms. The book says the times at hand at the beginning and at the end. Some people have some excuses to offer why we shouldn't take it in the way that I suggested to you this morning and last week. And I'll give you these three arguments, and I'd like you to refute the arguments point by point or one by one. In the first place, there'll be people who will say, if you look at this portion of the Book of Revelation, this symbolic portion of the Book, we know this must be interpreted of, you know, this, that, and the other, which we know to be in the future. We know that this portion, this symbolic portion of the book is to be interpreted futuristically, and therefore you can't understand the Declaration, the time is at hand to mean that the Book's main prophecies are fulfilled in John's basic day One argument against our view this morning. What's wrong with that line? Of thought. Exactly. That's right. It refuses to see that you must reason from the clear to the unclear. In fact, what it does is it starts with the unclear or the that which is up for grabs, the figurative, symbolic, that has to be interpreted, and then reasons from it to the clear declaration that the clear declaration mustn't be taken at face value. And that's backwards. That's like reasoning from the declaration that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation back to John's declaration that Jesus is the word of God from all eternity and God himself. That in fact John can't be taken at face value. That's just not reasoning in a proper hermeneutical fashion. Well, then some people will say we must relativize the temporal significance of the time is at hand. Because one day with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day. And so if the Lord tells John that the time is at hand, that doesn't really tell you anything. Maybe that means the time is at hand in terms of God's reckoning of time. What's wrong with that? There's an inconsistency in people who will say that, who nevertheless look at the thousand years as being very literal. They aren't willing to let the millennium be one day long. You know, a thousand years is a day and a day is a thousand years. There's something else wrong with this temporal. I mean, this relativizing of the temporal significance of the declaration. Yes, Grover, That's right. And it's God telling John that the time is at hand, rather than Peter declaring to us that as God reckons time, you know, it never goes too. It's never too. Time is never lagging for God or going too fast for God. Everything, you know, happens just in God's own time. So one thing to be told that about God, nothing for God himself to tell us that with reference to our time, the fulfillment of the prophecies at hand. Well then somebody says, yeah, but the time is at hand, or these things are shortly to come about. That word short is a very relative word. Short means short in comparison with something else. And therefore that doesn't tell you anything. The time is at hand and these things are shortly to come about. It's a relative word. How would you answer that? Well, maybe, maybe it is going to come about shortly. But of course, given the background of these long eons of time, you know, we still haven't exhausted that short period in which it's to be fulfilled. Problem with that, Let's not See, all the same hands. Now, what's that? Here's somebody who says, you say these things are to shortly come about according to the book of Revelation, but the word short is a relative word. Short is always relative to something else. For instance, Mickey Rooney is short in comparison to Wilt Chamberlain, but he may be tall in comparison to a dwarf. And so what does short mean? That doesn't tell you whether the prophecies of the book were near to John's day or not. They may be short, but short in comparison to what? Relative to the book of graduation. Well, what in the book of Revelations, specifically, what's going to take place shortly? The fall of the Church's enemies over against what's going to happen shortly. There's going to be a thousand years of something. What? A thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ. What was that? Yeah, and the growth of the kingdom. And so. That's right. The fact that the word short is relative doesn't mean that the preterist interpretation is not possible, because obviously short is in comparison to something else. And what is it in comparison to in the book of Revelation? The length of the kingdom and its growth and the rule of Jesus Christ. All right, one more problem, and then we'll go on to interpret the main figures of the Book of Revelation. There are those people who will say that Christ's coming is going to be quick. After all, the Book of Revelation says that Jesus comes quickly. And yet we don't take that declaration, Revelation 22:7 and 22:20, we don't take that declaration in the sense that he comes near at hand in John's own day. And so obviously, if you're a preterist, you're inconsistent. On the one hand, when it says the time is at hand, you take that to mean literally, very close at hand to John's own day and age. On the other hand, when Jesus says he comes quickly, you don't take that to mean in John's own day and age. And so you're not really being consistent. Exactly. That's right. Jesus does come quickly. He comes suddenly and unexpectedly. And we believe he shall when he does come. But there's no time referent to when he shall come in that declaration. Beyond that, if that is what the text is to be interpreted to say, which I maintain it doesn't. But if it does say that Jesus comes near at hand to John's own day and quickly in that sense, then what are we to make of the inerrancy of Holy Scripture? I mean, there will be Some people who insist that's what the word means and then go on to say, see, there you go, here it is in the New Testament, this expectation that Jesus was going to return in the lifetime of Jesus own hearers and he didn't do it. And so the book, the Bible is really a fallible book. There'll be some people who insist on that, but I don't think evangelicals want to be quite that hasty to say that the time is at hand for Jesus coming. Rather, when Jesus does come, it will be quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly. All right, let's look at the outline of the Book of Revelation. I would like to go through the main section of it and then I'd like to interpret for you the main figures in the Book of Revelation. And if we get done with that this morning, next week we'll take up with chapter eight and continue our verse by verse exposition. But seems to me this might be a good time to try to get the overall picture before you so that you don't get lost in the maze of all the details. We've been spending virtually a whole year now on the details up to chapter eight, and I think it's time that we stop and recapitulate the whole book before you, and then you can put all the rest of the details in place as we go along. But now, in the outline of the Book of Revelation, you notice there are three major sections, all of which are found on the top of the first page of the outline. Section one, things which have been seen in the past. That's chapter one, verses nine to twenty. Section two things which are presently the case, letters to the seven churches, chapters two and three. Then section three, things which shall be hereafter, Chapter four, verse one and following. Now, the things which shall be hereafter fall into two main prophecies. The first prophecy is the prophecy of a seven sealed scroll. That's a 3A. And then Roman numeral 3B is the second prophecy of the little book. Okay, now let's go back and look at that first prophecy of the seven sealed scroll and see what it includes. First of all, you have a background to the judgment on the first enemy, which I will interpret to be Apostate Jerusalem. Background to the Judgment, giving you the setting and main characters and a preview of the contents in preparation for judgment. And then finally a prelude to that judgment. Now jump down to Roman numeral 3b in the second prophecy, subhead 1, background to the judgment on the second enemy, which is pagan Rome. And what do you have underneath that background, a setting and main characters, a preview of the contents, and a prelude to the judgment. What I'm suggesting is this book is not nearly so chaotic as people think. It has a beautiful symmetry and balance to it. So John has the first prophecy, a background giving you the main characters, preview of the contents, and then the prelude, that is this leading up to the judgment. And then the judgment falls. Roman numeral 3, sub A2, the judgment, which is seven trumpets. Now look at three B2 after that background setting, preview and prelude, the judgment. Seven bowls. So you have seven trumpets of judgment, seven bowls of wrath. And notice also that when this judgment is detailed in the first prophecy, you have the first four trumpets which are natural calamities, and then the last three trumpets, which are human woes. In the second prophecy of the book, underneath the seven bowls of judgment, you have the first four bowls of judgment, natural calamities, and then the last three bowls, human afflictions. And in the declaration of the three woes of the three last trumpets, as well as in the declaration of the three last moles of wrath, you'll have included in that description in both cases the following. An interpretation of the prophecy, a foreshadowing of the next section of the book, an elaboration that God is just in what he has done, a note of finality at the final. At the seventh trumpet, and at the seventh bowl, there's a real note of finality. It's over and done. And then fifthly, a declaration that God is victorious and his kingdom reigns. All those elements are included in the last three sections of the judgmental portions of the prophecy, be it the last three trumpets or the last three bowls. I don't know if that impresses you, but it impresses me. I've done enough study of the Book of Revelation to know how people think. Think that this is just kind of this. This visionary, apocalyptic, really, you know, flying high experience of John and just this kind of, you know, things are going every which way and you can't really figure it out. I'm saying, you know, really, the book is very highly structured. It's nicely balanced, has a real literary structure and framework to it. Okay, what happens after the. Well, we've seen the first prophecy is the seven sealed scroll. We've seen the seven trumpets of Judgment showing God's judgment on somebody. And then we've seen the second prophecy is the little book which has seven bowls of wrath poured out on another enemy of the church. And Now Roman numeral 3b, number 3 is the resultant vision of a Rider on a white horse, chapter 19, which is one of the most crucial chapters in the book. There you have the background main characters, and then the victorious outcome of the battle. Now, just as at the end of the first prophecy, first prophecy is the seven sealed scroll. If you'll back up, you'll notice at the end of the first prophecy, this is 3A number 3. There's an explanation of the establishment of God's kingdom and a transition to the next section of the book. That is, how can it be that God's kingdom should be established in the face of apostate Jerusalem? Well, then in chapter 12, John's given the explanation. And that explanation has reference to Satan and his falling from heaven. We'll explain that in a few moments. My point here now is that that's at the end of the first prophecy, the explanation with reference to Satan, that God has established his kingdom. At the end of the second prophecy, this is now Roman numeral 3b, number 4. Again, you have an explanation that the kingdom has been established and a transition to the next portion of the book. And the explanation is with reference to Satan. How is it that the Roman Empire is going to fall in the face of the Christian church? How is it that the rider on the white horse is going to conquer all these people with the preaching of the Gospel? The explanation in chapter 20 is that Satan is bound. And so chapter 12 explains the first half of the book with reference to Satan. Chapter 20 explains the second half of the book with reference to Satan. And what's left? Well, chapters 21 and 22. And what do they detail? The final judgment and then the new heavens and the new earth. The consummation state of things for all eternity. I think the book of Revelation is then very balanced and highly structured and not nearly so difficult to understand as people might initially have thought. If you just let the Book of Revelation dictate its own internal structure and follow the drama as it unfolds as John gives it. Well, we've been going through all these details. I've been trying to show you the balance. Let me just tell you the story of the book of Revelation very quickly. Okay, what happens? Well, we come to the book of Revelation. We find that John is on Patmos Island. He's been exiled for his testimony to the word of God. And John gives this ascription of praise to Jesus Christ. The strange thing to us is that while he is in exile for his Christian faith, he's nevertheless praising Jesus Christ for being the ruler of the nations and the Lord over history. And he praises him because of his redemptive work. And then John is given a vision. And that vision is of Jesus Christ in this glorious attire, with these flaming eyes, with white wool hair and all the rest. This marvelous vision of Jesus Christ in the midst of seven candle stands. And then he's told. What that means is John, despite that is in terms of the context, despite your exile, despite the tribulation of the saints, Jesus is with his church. And he holds the seven stars in his right hand. The seven stars being the pastors of the seven, are the angels of the seven churches, the leaders of the seven churches. Well, on the basis of that, Jesus tells John to write seven letters to these seven churches. And the seven letters rebuke the churches for where they're wrong, encourage the churches where they're right, and exhort all the churches to overcome. All right, you're in the midst of tribulation. You're being beat back, but overcome. Jesus expects you to triumph in his name. Triumph over internal division, triumph over apostasy, triumph over heresy, triumph over external opposition. Jesus expects you to be victorious. And then John is given a vision of the throne room of God in the midst of all our trials and tribulations. Behold, the throne of God rules over all. And then in chapter five of the book, we are introduced to the fact that God has a seven sealed scroll in his hand. And there's only one person in all of heaven and earth who is able to open that scroll. There's only one Lord over history, and that's Jesus Christ, the slain lamb. And when Jesus starts breaking the seals of that seven sealed scroll, we start getting a preview of the contents of the scroll. And we see the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. How Jesus rides forth, conquering and to conquer. And he brings in his wake the devastations of warfare and famine and pestilence for those who will not submit to his lordship. He brings historical judgment. And we go on with the rest of the breaking of the seals. The sixth seal that is broken is rather extensive because it shows us the kind of judgment that's going to come on Jerusalem. If you read the events that take place there. Men calling for the mountains to fall upon them and all the rest. It's very parallel to what Jesus says in Luke's Gospel, parallel to what's going to happen at the fall of Jerusalem when God avenges the blood of His Son on the city that crucified his Son. All right, so the six seals, six of the seven seals have been broken. And there's a pause while God seals his people. And he calls his people, first of all the 12 tribes, the new Israel. And then he calls his people an innumerable crowd from all nations on earth. So here you have the international New Israel, if you will. That's the easiest way to put that point. The international New Israel, the innumerable 144,000 saints. God seals them. Their eternal security is there. And so when God's judgment falls, it's not something that's going to afflict or harm his people ultimately. And then after that declaration, the seventh seal is broken. And what happens? There's a half hour of silence in heaven as everybody waits, trembling, to see what's going to happen. And, and as the scroll then is finally opened, remember, this is just a drama that we're watching. Then as Jesus opens the scroll, immediately seven trumpets begin to blare. The first trumpet, then the second trumpet, then the third, the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. And these trumpets are declaring, the judgment of God has come. It's a call to battle. So the trumpets blare and God judges apostate Jerusalem. Toward the end of that, John is given a little book, and he's told that he's to prophesy again over many tribes, peoples and nations. And the little book becomes then the paradigm or the model for the second part of the book of Revelation. But before we get to that, there must be an explanation. How is it that God could establish his kingdom, this international kingdom, in the face of persecuting Jerusalem? Well, you see, the great red dragon in heaven wanted to go to war with the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so he fights against the woman. The woman is victorious. Satan wishes to vent his wrath upon the children of the woman, and in fact is not able to do so. And so he falls from heaven. There's battle in heaven. Michael and his angels press Satan out of heaven. His power falls. And then chapter 13 begins with the little book, and the fall of Jerusalem is declared. Now for a number of chapters. And at the end of chapter 18, I'm sorry, the fall of Rome is declared for a number of chapters. The Roman Empire falls at chapter 18. Chapter 17 explains what is happening, by the way, God gives his interpretation. And then chapter 19 shows us the effect. If in fact Jerusalem can't stop the kingdom of God from growing, and if in fact the Roman Empire can't keep the kingdom of God From Growing, Chapter 19 shows us that Jesus Christ, riding upon a white horse with the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God proceeding from his mouth, goes forth and conquers all opposition. Jesus said in the Great Commission, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. All power and authority in heaven and earth is mine. And therefore do what? Disciple the nations. And so you see the discipling of the nations. But how is that possible? Many people ask that today, and John gives the answer in chapter 20. It's possible because when Jesus came to earth, he bound Satan so that he could deceive the nations no longer. But at the very end of human history, Satan will be loosed for a short season, there'll be a general apostasy, and Jesus Christ will come with flaming fire and judgment upon the world. The great white throne. Judgment will be established and will be ushered into the new heavens and the new earth, where there is a new Jerusalem. Well, that's the story of the Book of Revelation. Not nearly so difficult as people think. Let's look at the main characters and the main points of the book and see if we can't substantiate what I told you about. This is at the very end of your outline, page two. And the main. The main points of the book that need an interpretation in this general outline are the 144,000, the enemy of the first section of the book, the beast, the heads of the beast, the harlot, the second beast, the ten kings, and Satan himself. If I can give you a rough and ready explanation of those elements, you should be able to understand in a basic way the book of revelation. Well, the 144,000 we spent two or three weeks on. And so I'll just read through this very quickly. You'll notice that I've given you some scripture references to back it up. But the 144,000 are the tribes of Israel, which are universal in extent. Obviously not the literal tribes of Israel, but the international new people of God. The new Israel, which I say is identical with the church, the new Israel of God. And if you look at Galatians 6:16, James 1:1 and 1 Peter 1:1, you'll see why the church can be called the Israel of God. Also in Galatians 3, you'll see how the church is the seed of Abraham in 1st Peter 2. The description of Israel of old at Exodus 19 at Mount Sinai is now applied in 1st Peter 2 to the church. Then Philippians 3:3 describes the church as the true circumcision. Romans 2 tells us that in fact those who are truly circumcised of heart are God's people, and not the Jews who are circumcised. In their flesh. Well, so what I'm saying is that if the tribes of Israel, which are international in extent are the hundred and forty four thousand, we have plenty of New Testament interpretation of that to mean the church. But moreover, the 144,000 are interpreted for us in the book of Revelation as those who have been saved by Christ's blood. I give you the references, those who have been redeemed, those who are the elect from the earth references again, those who follow the Lamb to living waters and have him dwell among them. And I gave you the New Testament background as well as the references for that declaration. Then finally, they're not only called the tribes of Israel, not only called those who are saved by Christ's blood, but they're also called spiritual virgins who have God's name on them. Now, I suggest that when you put it all together, there shouldn't be any doubt in your mind that the 144,000 are those who are believers in Jesus Christ, the church of Christ. Then what's the enemy of the first section? This is where we get into some of the controversy. Remember that as I was interpreting the section seals for you, on that seven sealed scroll that are being broken, I pointed out a parallel between seals 2, 3, and 4. And what we find in Matthew 24:7. Seal 5 parallels Matthew 24:9, and seal 6 parallels Matthew 24, verse 29. Luke 23, 27:31 was Luke 21:23. And I'm only going to look for the sake of brevity this morning at that sixth seal and its parallel in Revelation. Let me find the sixth seal here for you. Revelation 6:12. And I saw when he opened the sixth seal and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth as a fig tree cast her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. The heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. The kings of the earth and the princes and chief captains, and the rich and strong, and every bondman and freeman hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. And they say to the mountains and into the rocks fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? Notice how that declaration has an interesting parallel then in Matthew 24:29. There we read, but immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Okay, there we have all this apocalyptic heavenly language about the powers of the air being shaken at a certain point. What's Matthew 24 talking about there? Fall of Jerusalem. When God's people, when Jerusalem falls, then it's as though all the stars have been moved out of their place. And there's plenty of Old Testament background for that symbolism, that figurative language being used for the fall of a great city. Then look at Luke 23, verses 27 to 31. Luke 23:27 and there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turned unto them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bear, and the breast that never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains fall on us, and to the hills cover us. For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Jesus says, if they do these things when I'm the Messiah, am in your presence, what's going to happen when God now judges this dry tree? It's going to be better for women never to have born children than to have children when Jerusalem falls. And notice, he says, when that day comes, men will call for the mountains to save them. Look at Luke 21:23. Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. For there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people, and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive, captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be no doubt. But the sixth seal is talking about that woe that will come upon Jerusalem when it falls. So who's the enemy of the first section? I say it's Jerusalem, and I think we can find further confirmation of that. Jerusalem is going to fall in AD 70 70, as the first section of the Book of Revelation declares, because notice that chapter nine of the Book of Revelation tells us that an army of horsemen will be dispatched from the Euphrates river. Revelation chapter 9, verses 7 and 9 in the shape of the locusts were likened to horror. Horses prepared for War, verse 9. And they had breastplates, as it were, breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings is what the sound of chariots and many horses rushing to war. Then add that to verses 15, 16, and 17. And the four angels were loosed, they that are prepared for the hour and day and month and year, they that should kill the third part of the men. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was 12, twice 10,000 times 10,000. I heard the number of them, and thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and hands and of brimstone. And the heads of the horses are the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. Here's John's declaration that from the midst of the Euphrates river, which is where, by the way, the Roman legion was standing stationed before it went and destroyed Jerusalem, this army of horsemen, this terrible army of horsemen, with these. With these breastplates of iron, and with these chariots and these mighty horses were going to come. And this is precisely what history tells us happened. Notice Also at chapter 11, verse 1, there was given me a reed like unto a rod. And one said, rise and measure the temple of God and the altar. And then that worship therein, the temple of Jerusalem is already standing, is still standing. When John is told to do this, he is to go measure the temple, specifically the holy of holies. So the temple is standing from the Euphrates river, an army of horsemen are going to be dispatched to destroy Jerusalem and the city that is going to fall in this first vision of the book of Revelation is described for us in chapter 11, verse 8. And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city. And what is the great city? Well, it's spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. Spiritually, it's called that. But do you want to know literally what city it is? It's where our Lord was crucified. You know, if you don't tremble when you hear those words, what did Jesus to say? Women, don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. But if they do this in the green tree, what will God do to them in the dry? When Jerusalem rejected the Messiah, and where they put our Lord to death, God brought this kind of tremendous and horrible judgment upon it. And the bodies laid in the street for days. That city which is called Spirit, spiritually, Sodom, Jerusalem, the golden right, it's called by God, Sodom in Egypt because they crucified the Lord. Yes, Because they were stationed at the Euphrates River. Word came to them from the west of the rebellion in Jerusalem. And they were dispatched from the Euphrates to go to Jerusalem. Sure. Euphrates area. Well, it wouldn't make a whole lot of difference to the interpretation here, because the fact is that they were dispatched from the Euphrates. Maybe they were losing the battle over the Euphrates Valley, and they were dispatched from there to go to Jerusalem. Or maybe they controlled it and were dispatched to go to Jerusalem. But the fact is Rome dispatched its legion at the Euphrates to go and to hold down the rebellion in Jerusalem. And all I'm saying is that's what John says. From the Euphrates river, these horsemen are going to come rushing this terrible sound, and with these iron swords and breastplates and chariots and so forth. And that's what history tells us happened. Actually, the important thing is to see that what Jesus declares about the fall of Jerusalem is what is declared in the book of Revelation that parallel and to see that, as we've just seen in Revelation 11:8, the city that falls is the city where our Lord was crucified. So the enemy of the first section of the book of Revelation must be identified as Jerusalem. Okay. The city is the city where Christ was crucified, verse 8 in chapter 11. And we read that that city is going to fall specifically in 1113. And in that hour there was a great earthquake and the tenth part of the city fell. And then see what else here. And the holy city is tread underfoot by the gentiles according to 11:2. And the court which is without the temple, leave without and measure it not, for it hath been given unto the nations, and the holy city shall they tread underfoot 40 and two months. In Luke 21, verse 24, I hope you'll remember that the holy city was said to be tread under the foot of the Gentiles till the time of the Gentiles is for so again, it's another parallel declaration to what we have in the Gospels about the fall of Jerusalem. By the way, just as a matter this is not in your notes, but the fact that the holy city was tread underfoot 40 and 2 months, or 42 months. I don't know quite what to make of this, but as a matter of historical fact, fall of Jerusalem took exactly 42 months. Now, why don't I just go ahead and interpret it that way? Well, the difficulty is this is a figurative book, and I'M not sure all the time references can be made literal in that way, but it's an interesting coincidence if nothing else. That is how long it took for Jerusalem to fall. Now, what is the interpretive effect? That is when this city, I'm saying it is Jerusalem with the temple standing. Jerusalem that crucified our Lord. When that city falls, what is the effect of this vision? Well, chapter 10, verse 7 tells us the significance of the vision. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants, the prophets. That's only one verse, but it's probably, probably the most important verse of the whole main first section of the book. In the days of what? The seventh angel. Seventh angel. The seventh trumpet. That is when the. When. When God's judgment has fallen completely upon this city. Then what will be the effect God gives? The theological significance of the seventh angel, when he says then is finished. The mystery of God according to the prophets. And what is the mystery of God in the New Testament according to the prophets? Well, look at Ephesians 3, 3, 6. Paul says, how that by revelation wast made known unto me. The mystery, as I wrote before in few words, whereby when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit. So the language is identical. Here's the mystery, the mystery of Christ. The mystery made known by the apostles and prophets, which was not clearly perceived by the former prophets of old. Verse 6, to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the good tidings, through the gospel. Let's read again. Revelation 10, verse 7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants, the prophets. Stop and think about it. What is on my interpretation? What does the voice of the seventh angel indicate? The final downfall of Jerusalem. We're told that with the final downfall of Jerusalem the mystery is completed. And what's the mystery? That the Gentiles should be in God's kingdom, fellow heirs with the Jews. Is there any special place for Jews in the kingdom of God? Now, do they have any special privilege? Or do they enter the kingdom on an equal footing and On a par with the Gentiles. Well, history gives you a dramatic declaration of that fact because God destroyed Jerusalem. Does that all fit together for you? Now, the city where our Lord was crucified will fall when God sends from. As I've been saying, as a matter of historical incident from the Euphrates, the Roman Empire will come with its armies and destroy the city. City. And the effect will be that the mystery has been completed. The mystery that the Gentiles and the Jews are on an equal footing in the kingdom of God. However, when Jerusalem falls, what will happen to the Jewish church? After all, there were Christians in Jerusalem, right? Well, look at chapter 12, verse 13 in Revelation. And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. All right. Who is the woman that brought forth the man child? Well, Romans 1:3, Concerning his son, who was born of the Son, the seed of David, according to the flesh, the seed of David. Galatians 4:4, 26. Galatians 4:4. And when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman born under the law. Galatians 4:26. Now, but the Jerusalem that is above is free. Which is our mother, who is the mother of Jesus Christ According to Revelation 12, well, it's the Jewish nation. He's born of the seed of David. According to the flesh. There's a Jerusalem that's on earth and a Jerusalem which is above. And when we get to that, we're going to be spending a lot of time explaining that. But the point is that Satan now, because he could not destroy the man child of the woman, persecutes the woman. Satan comes and persecutes the Jews. Well, and what happens? Chapter 12, verse 14 goes on to say, and there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time. From the face of the serpent, the woman flees through the wilderness to the appointed place where she's secure. What did Jesus tell his people? When you see Jerusalem surrounded with armies? That's right, you were to flee. And history tells us they did flee to the wilderness, to Palla, where they were saved. So that in the fall of Jerusalem, not one of God's sealed ones, not one of God's saints was destroyed. The Christians knew how to interpret Jesus words, and they took off. They escaped according to the instructions of Christ. Look at Luke 21, 20, 21. But when ye See Jerusalem compassed with armies. Then know that her desolation is at hand. Then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains. And let them that are in the midst of her depart out. And let them that are in the country not enter therein. And so Jesus gave the instructions and the Jewish church fled. And so let's read Revelation 12, verses 13 and 14 again, putting that all together very quickly here now. And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, when Satan saw that Christ had conquered and that his power was spent, the power of Satan was grounded out. He persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child, the faithful Jewish church. And there were given to the woman the two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent. And so we're going to have to finish this up next week. The point is that the enemy of the first section is Jerusalem. The seals parallel the declarations in the Gospels about the fall of Jerusalem. The army of horsemen are dispatched from the Euphrates as the Roman invasion took place in history. The temple is said to still, still be standing. And the city that falls is said to be the city where Christ was crucified. It's called the Holy City. Tread under the foot of the Gentiles. And the effect of the fall of that city is that it's now clear to everybody that the Jews have no special place, but that the Gentiles and the Jews enter the kingdom on a par. However, the Jewish church, when Rome, I mean when Jerusalem fell. Excuse me, the Jewish church escaped according to Christ's instructions. I would say that it's rather clear how you must interpret the first portion of the book of Revelation. It's clear from the way the Gospels give you the background to these words. It's clear from the theological interpretation given by God, and it's clear from our knowledge of history as well. All these things coordinate to show that the enemy of the first section is Jerusalem. And so the seven sealed scroll, when it's finally unrolled and the seven trumpets blare, Jerusalem falls. After Jerusalem falls, we must turn our attention now to the second enemy of the people of God, the Roman Empire. I'm sure asking this question is almost superfluous, but have you any questions? You undoubtedly will. I know that we going to be dealing with this more in detail, so. Yes, Reverber. Would I relate it to Daniel? Yeah, I'm aware of that. No, I don't relate that to Daniel's prophecy. As I see it, Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled in the midst of the 70th week when Jesus put an end to the sacrificial system by the sacrifice of himself. And so I don't see the two as correlating. I mean, you might want to draw out something about that three and a half years remaining in the 70th week of years or something. But it's not my intention right now to make that point. Other questions before we close. Now, Gregaris approach. The book of revelation, in chapter 20, verses 1 to 7, talks about the saints rule with Christ for a millennium. Oh, of course, the end of history is found in the book of Revelation. Remember, in the outline, it should say the interpretation of the main events of the book. Nobody denies on any of those four schools that the final judgment is to be found in the book of Revelation and the declaration of the new heavens and new earth. The question is what? What is all of this in chapters 6 through 11 and chapters 13 through 18 about? That's where the controversy is. And then of course, how you interpret those sections will affect 12, 20, and 19 as well. But the main controversy is over those two, the scroll and the little book and what they're all about. And I'm saying that the preterist says those are prophecies and judgments that take place in John's own day. The saints rule with Christ for millennium. Is that just Christ ruling spiritually or is he present? Well, he's present spiritually. I mean, you don't have to choose between those two. He's not literally. He's not bodily ruling from Jerusalem for a thousand years on this interpretation, no. Okay, let's close with a word of prayer. Father, we ask you that you would give us discernment and wisdom to understand your word. We pray, Father, that we wouldn't be scared off from it, that we wouldn't look upon it as an enigma and a difficulty which cannot be overcome. But Father, you would fulfill your promise to indeed give your spirit to enlighten our eyes, that we'd understand the interpretation of your book as you have given it. Do make us faithful to that word, Father, that we might be obedient, we might be proper servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that our attitudes and our actions would indeed advance that day in which the kingdoms of this world are the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. For it's in his name that we pray. Amen.