As I suggested in the last post, there is a structure to Revelation that makes it possible to discern some order out of the apparent chaos.
The following are passages from Revelation that are scenes at or just prior to the final judgment:
Rev 6:12 Then47 I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge48 earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair,49 and the full moon became blood red;50
Rev 6:13 and the stars in the sky51 fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping52 its unripe figs53 when shaken by a fierce54 wind.
Rev 6:14 The sky55 was split apart56 like a scroll being rolled up,57 and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
Rev 6:15 Then58 the kings of the earth, the59 very important people, the generals,60 the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave61 and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
Rev 6:16 They62 said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,63
Rev 6:17 because the great day of their64 wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?"65
The text plainly says that the day of the wrath of God and the Lamb has come.
Rev 11:9 For three and a half days those from every24 people, tribe,25 nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb.26
Rev 11:10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
Rev 11:11 But27 after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized28 those who were watching them.
Rev 11:12 Then29 they30 heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: "Come up here!" So the two prophets31 went up to heaven in a cloud while32 their enemies stared at them.
Rev 11:13 Just then33 a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people34 were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe has come and gone;35 the third is coming quickly.
Notice the earthquake scene is repeated, but just for Jerusalem. The two witnesses will prophesy for 3 1/2 years and then will be killed. Their return to heaven is indicative of the Rapture, which takes place at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Rev 14:18 Another53 angel, who was in charge of54 the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel55 who had the sharp sickle, "Use56 your sharp sickle and gather57 the clusters of grapes58 off the vine of the earth,59 because its grapes60 are now ripe."61
Rev 14:19 So62 the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard63 of the earth and tossed them into the great64 winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 Then65 the winepress was stomped66 outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses' bridles67 for a distance of almost two hundred miles.68
You will see the commonality of the description when we look at Rev 16 and 19 regarding the wine/winepress.
Rev 16:16 Now51 the spirits52 gathered the kings and their armies53 to the place that is called Armageddon54 in Hebrew.
Rev 16:17 Finally55 the seventh angel56 poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: "It is done!"
Rev 16:18 Then57 there were flashes of lightning, roaring,58 and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake — an earthquake unequaled since humanity59 has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake.
Rev 16:19 The60 great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations61 collapsed.62 So63 Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup64 filled with the wine made of God's furious wrath.65
Rev 16:20 Every66 island fled away67 and no mountains could be found.68
Rev 16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds69 each, fell from heaven70 on people,71 but they72 blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it73 was so horrendous.74
The first, but not the last, mention of the battle of Armageddon. Also, a repetition of the description of the earthquake that not only caused a tenth of the city to collapse but also now is revealed to have split it into 3 parts. Also a mention of the wine again.
Rev 19:11 The Son of God Goes to War
Then26 I saw heaven opened and here came27 a white horse! The28 one riding it was called "Faithful" and "True," and with justice29 he judges and goes to war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery30 flame and there are many diadem crowns31 on his head. He has32 a name written33 that no one knows except himself.
Rev 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped34 in blood, and he is called35 the Word of God.
Rev 19:14 The36 armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen,37 were following him on white horses.
Rev 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations.38 He 39 will rule 40 them with an iron rod, 41 and he stomps the winepress42 of the furious43 wrath of God, the All-Powerful.44
Rev 19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."
Rev 19:17 Then45 I saw one angel standing in46 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky:47
"Come, gather around for the great banquet48 of God,
Rev 19:18 to eat49 your fill50 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals,51
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave,52
and small and great!"
Rev 19:19 Then53 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army.
Rev 19:20 Now54 the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf55 — signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.56
Rev 19:21 The57 others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged58 themselves with their flesh.
A repetition of the wine/ winepress/ God's wrath motif. More detail about the Battle of Armageddon, namely that Jesus leads His armies, and the fate of the Beast and False Prophet.
Rev 20:7 Satan's Final Defeat
Now15 when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison
Rev 20:8 and will go out to deceive16 the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,17 to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea.18
Rev 20:9 They19 went up20 on the broad plain of the earth21 and encircled22 the camp23 of the saints and the beloved city, but24 fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely.25
Rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived26 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,27 where the beast and the false prophet are28 too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
Another brief description of the Battle of Armageddon and the fate of Satan, which occurs directly after the Beast and False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Rev 20:11 The Great White Throne
Then29 I saw a large30 white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven31 fled32 from his presence, and no place was found for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then33 books were opened, and another book was opened — the book of life.34 So35 the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.36
Rev 20:13 The37 sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death38 and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
Rev 20:14 Then39 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death — the lake of fire.
Rev 20:15 If40 anyone's name41 was not found written in the book of life, that person42 was thrown into the lake of fire.
A new vision of the FINAL Judgment of the wicked.
cf Matt 25:46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Notice that in each successive vision, more details are introduced and the time the events move forward. In other words, we go from the bare beginning of God and the Lamb's wrath in Rev 6, all the way to the end of the final judgment in Rev 20.
Chris
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