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Calling Out His Children

• Heaven is filled with angels, waiting to do God’s bidding.
• This angel was a special angel. He was given great authority. Conway called him righteous, blessed, and divine. That sounds like Jesus.
• To celebrate, the angel made a pronouncement regarding the fate – and wickedness – of the earth.
• Armageddon has been fought, and Satan and his world has fallen – just as it was prophesied.
• The description the angel gives of this world is accurate. There is an important thing we must remember – we are living in the world described now. Demons live among us, but they will inhabit the earth even more after the fall. Unclean spirits and animals live among us, but they will inhabit the earth even more after the fall. The world is filled with sexual immorality, and many – even kings – have succumbed to its lure. Wealth can be derived from sinful practices.
• In other words, everything that disciples are told that from which to distance ourselves. Good men can live among the wicked. This is where the be-in-the-world-but-not-of-it comes into effect (Jn. 15: 19 ESV).
• The worldview wants us to think atheism is the way to go. But they are deceiving themselves. God will not be mocked. He will not be disobeyed forever. He will be victorious in the end.
• Armageddon begins. Jesus and Satan are fighting. Jesus wins. Mankind is still on earth.
• God’s people are called home.
  Then means that these verses come after verses 2-3. Come out comes after Babylon has fallen.
• But how many times do we try to keep God out of Revelation? It is all about Jesus’ coming, getting us, and claiming us so we don’t get judged.
• We are trying to – at a minimum – make Jesus the equal of God or – at a maximum – ignoring God all the way around.
• The Church is not going to miss the tribulation.
• Those thinking we can gain Heaven by being a good person will receive double punishment if they haven’t ABCDed. That will be the same punishment for those who say there is no God or that we are gods.
• There is no probationary period. That is may not be scriptural. All will be judged on their actions.
• Worldview people take pride in themselves. They do not glorify God. And they will pay the price for that. As will the goats masquerading as sheep.
• The voice from Heaven – who I think is God – says the fall of earth will happen just as quickly as the fall of the city of Babylon.
• Punishment will come on the last day of God’s patience without warning.
• Nothing addressed the fact that the 21 judgments – the seals, trumpets, and bowls – were called plagues. But then again, we have the timing issue. Are we talking about our timing (24 hours) or God’s timing (1,000 years)?
• We think the only thing real is what we see – that is what the Babylonian spirit is. We think God isn’t real because we can’t see Him – wrong.
• The moral of this story is that we put faith in everything but God. That puts us in danger of God’s wrath if we don’t.
• Worldview people think the worldview is so wonderful and prosperous. They are going to find out differently when the fall comes.
• Our spiritual condition should always be our focus.

Glossary

Worldview

Weeping and Wailing

• There will be a lot of weeping and wailing going on, even by the world leaders, after the Church is raptured.
• But they won’t be weeping because they are sorry that they didn’t get to go to Heaven. The kings will be wailing because they see their material possessions burning up.
• The merchants will weep and wail because people won’t be buying from them anymore.
• We choose how we react to circumstances. We choose between God and Satan.
• I can see this as the group – the congregation – taking care of itself. This is, in fact, in the Levitical law and what the early Church did.

• In my opinion, socialism wants us to take care of each other, so we don’t have to rely on God to take care of us. That is the exact opposite of what God wants. Leviticus talks about fearing God, God providing for us, and God being our God.
• The merchants were sad because they no longer could sell their slaves – human souls.
• Sin is slavery.  Since the verse talks about souls, it seems it is aligning itself with the spiritual condition.
• The millstone was a great symbolization of the grounding that goes on within us. God grinds us to sanctify us.

• We probably don’t realize the significance that the “… the light of a lamp will shine in you no more …” (Rev. 18: 23 ESV).
• Especially in the first century, the flame was not allowed to go out.
• Jesus is the Bridegroom. It is His voice that we won’t hear and light that will no longer be in us.
• The worldview keeps thinking it should just get better and better. It may seem like it, but it really isn’t. The only way it will improve is if we ABCD. Judgment will come if we don’t.
• God has every right to bring judgment on us. Judgment will bring us and the universe back into complete alignment with God’s paradise.
• God still has ahold of us all – believers and non-believers. God created us and everything else. He didn’t abdicate ownership of it to us. So, He is still Sovereign God, and Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.
• If we don’t share in their sins, we won’t share in their judgment. The biggest sin is to renounce and deny God. God also puts great store in our living a holy life.
• We don’t tend to learn from history, unfortunately. There are too many people want it rewritten. That isn’t going to help matters.

Glossary

Sanctification

Worshiping in Heaven

• The great multitude of saints will be worshiping God. This is the people of God, glorified through grace.
• That they were clothed in white robes show they had already been glorified. That they had palm branches in their hands showed they were worshiping.
• Their hallelujahs are interspersed throughout the praise.
• We know we are to worship and not stay silent.
• They are probably singing at the top of their lungs because of their joy. They couldn’t keep the joy within themselves, so they let it out through their worship.
• These are some people from all of the ages throughout time. These are people from all of mankind. There is no qualifying characteristic that eliminates them from salvation.
• God deserves this worship. He alone gives us salvation through Jesus, even though He was the One Whom we disobeyed.
• Salvation was designed to eliminate this wrong that mankind performed. By choosing to obey him, we reverse our unrighteous mindset. We become pure, and holy, once again as He is.
• The multitude credit God with glory. They worship God because of His power.
• When saying amen, we are giving our consent and agreement to what was said in the prayer. When saying hallelujah or alleluia, we are literally saying God be praised or praise the Lord. We can say God be praised all we want. Until we truly give our consent and agreement, our salvation isn’t genuine.

• Only through both can we deepen our portion of God.
• A voice continued the worship.
• Jesus has always and will always praise God the Father.
• Only those who revere God – have ABCDed – will be able to praise Him. Only those who have completely submitted to Him and are His slaves will be able to praise Him.
• We don’t show God enough gratitude in our worship services.
• The foundation of true worship is a gracious heart. That gratitude must only be directed toward God.

Glossary

Grace

Salvation

Prayer

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

• Our homecoming includes a celebration.
• A voice of roaring waters praises God.
• Thunder has also long been associated with the presence of God.
• Whoever is raising the praise, their response was immediate after the call.
• The marriage celebration will include praising God.
• The worship session takes place before the marriage itself.
• The betrothal begins with our conversion. The marriage is occurring because of the gift of eternal life from the Father.
• But this is the marriage day. It is when the Church will be perfected.
• It is easy to think we aren’t good enough. We won’t have love enough here in this life – and that is okay. We have to have faith and obedience.
• The Lamb and the bride mutually choose each other.
  We may think it is a change. We’ve known Jesus as the Lamb. Now, we are learning of Him as the Bridegroom. The focus should be on the fact that we will know Jesus as the Lamb and the Bridegroom.
• This is a true marriage. We are the bride of Christ because we consciously choose to invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Jesus also chooses to allow us to be saved.

• It doesn’t make sense that Jesus — the pure, righteous Son of God — would enter into a relationship with sinful, unholy mankind. But He does.
• The bride of Christ will clothe herself with immortality and purity.
• The white garment is a symbol of the righteousness we are given at salvation. We are putting on saintliness.
• Holiness has to be more than experience. It has to be our character.
• Nothing we are or do could earn us salvation. We only gain it through the grace and mercy of
• God when we submit to His authority.
• That also means that, as we navigate the Sanctification Road, there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Sanctification is only to make our character more like His.
• This sanctification – along with our faithfulness – is the preparation we need for the marriage ceremony.
• The marriage is when we are united with Christ by conversion.
• The supper is the celebration of that union.
• Only those invited to the marriage supper will be blessed.
• We won’t be forsaken – sinful. We will truly be redeemed.

• It appears that the marriage feast will happen after Judgment Day.

Glossary

Faith

The Battle of Armageddon

• The leader of the armies will appear on a white horse.
• Armageddon is a real-life battle that is going to take place near the end of what we call the tribulation. The earthly kings are going to gather an assault against Jerusalem.
• Jesus is going to lead the army at the Battle of Armageddon.

• This wasn’t a quick glance that John had. He looked at the rider long enough to establish what His character was.
• Jesus is already approaching us in this way. He wants us to get to know Him and know Who He really is. He wants us to see His character, because He wants us to adopt the same character for ourselves.
• We talked then about the possibility of the first horseman of the Apocalypse referring to Jesus coming to earth the first time. This would make Jesus’ coming here full circle.
• Both the first coming and the Second Coming are to bring salvation to mankind. The first time was because it had not previously been available for us. The second time is to bring true salvation – changing us to pure beings who cannot sin.
• Jesus makes war by judging the worldview people. How the General arrives is important because the purpose of this battle is to judge through righteousness any who are not righteous.
• Jesus is going to judge mankind based on their obedience or disobedience to God’s laws and commandments. The foundation is our relationship with God.
• Jesus deserves a crown because he is the King of Heaven.
• When Jesus shows up at the Battle of Armageddon, He will wear many crowns.
• Jesus wears the crown of creation because He is Creator.
• Jesus wears the crown of providence because He is also Sustainer.
• In addition, also on Jesus’s head is the crown of grace.
• What we more often hear is Jesus is crowned in glory and honor.
• Jesus also has a crown of victory.
• Probably the most memorable crown that Jesus wears is the crown of thorns. Meant to be a crown of shame, it shows Jesus’ love for us and commitment to be our Savior.
• John saw the rider’s name, but he doesn’t tell us what it is.
• We think His name is Jesus because that is the name He was given here on earth. Some might think of Him as His Hebrew name: Yeshua. That wasn’t the name used to identify Jesus in Genesis. No name was given then.
• We are given God’s name as YHWH. We are not given a similar name for Jesus.
• John does identify the rider by a name we know — in fact, one he had given Him before. He called Him the Word of God.

• Jesus will marshal His army against the army for the Antichrist.
• If mankind does make up even part of the army, we might think we are unworthy. But then we think the same thing with salvation.
• God doesn’t need us. He wants us. Jesus doesn’t need us in His army. He wants us.
• The army is mounted just as the General is. We are to be as He is — just not divine.
• Not one word is said about these armies having weapons or even armor. There is no need to worry. The army isn’t going to be doing the fighting.
• It is a spiritual battle between right and wrong – good and evil. The war is going on right now.
• It isn’t going to be a battle that relies on numbers. It will rely on the might of God.
• So, what kind of warfare will there be? Remember the double-edged sword coming from Jesus’ mouth. That isn’t the only thing coming from His mouth. Jesus always told us about Himself. He proclaimed the gospel wherever He went.
• What if that is the ammunition that fuels the Battle of Armageddon? Satan is defeated by the words out of God’s mouth – the gospel.
• The gospel that Jesus tells us about is based on God’s laws and commandments. They show whether we are pure or not.

Weapons for the Wrath of God

• Jesus rules, in part because of His sharp sword.
• Jesus, being the Son of God and to whom He has given all authority, is ruler of all.
• Jesus has supremacy over us because He is our Creator. But then He conquered as the Son of Man. While Jesus was here on earth, he battled spiritual rulers who were really masters in evil. He conquered death and sin.
• The heir of all things is Jesus.
• Jesus has been given authority in Heaven as well as on earth. Yes, Satan has authority on earth. But this authority is temporary. Satan will lose at the Battle of Armageddon.
• God’s wrath will be unleashed.
  This is the wrath that has been put on hold for centuries. It’s going to come out in the fullness of time.
• Jesus’ authority will be on full display.
• It seems strange that Jesus’ name is written on His thigh. Why? It is a sign of power.
• We think the hand under the thigh is kind of gross. It was their way of swearing on their circumcision. We swear on the Bible – they didn’t have it. They had the oath of circumcision they made to God.
• It could also because of Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel.
• Jesus’ dominion is far greater. He rules Heaven and earth and everything in between. He rules the seen and the unseen.
• We would look at Jesus as a King from our worldly perspective. Jesus was much more than that. He didn’t want to limit us to our knowledge. In other words, the kingdom is more than we can fathom.
• Christ being the King of kings brings us confidence. No one loves us more and has our best interests at heart. Our best best interest is our salvation – with Him as our Savior.
• Jesus is the moral Ruler of the universe. He is most concerned about our spiritual character – our moral character.

The Completion of the Battle of Armageddon

• An angel brings a message about the battle.
• The angel is going to be standing in the sun. That means he will be seen by all.
• It seems kind of strange that the angel is calling the birds to supper. But then, is it? Some types of birds are scavengers — especially for things dead. They are the crime scene sweepers of the wide-open spaces.
• This is all about the vengeance of God. He will defeat His enemies.
• God isn’t doing this just for vengeance. He is doing it to show us just Who He is.

• The false christ and false prophet will receive their judgment at the conclusion of the Battle of Armageddon.
• Along with the false christ, false prophet, and earthly kings, they have an army. This army will be comprised of all who do not believe in truth and righteousness. It will be all of him against all of us.
• Satan will be fighting against Jesus to stop the expansion of God’s kingdom. He will want to take what God has.
• The mark of the beast in the end times will be the choice of those alive at that time. We will either choose to have it or be sealed by God.
• I don’t think Satan would want us worshiping any type of image of God. He is trying to turn us away from God. He wants us to totally deny God.
• Satan will use try to get the church to implode within itself. Think of how gobsmacked someone is going to be when they thought they were worshiping God and find out they were truly worshiping Satan.
• Punishment is severe.
• The false christ and false prophet earned their punishment. They not only championed false doctrine, but they also blasphemed against God. They lied about the miracles they said they were performing. Bottom line is that they support apostasy — a churchy word for sin. They not only led worldview people astray, but they also led disciples away from God.
• They will receive their punishment while they were alive. The fiery pit is up and running long before the Day of the Lord. Eternity hasn’t started yet, but the fake christ and fake prophet are getting their punishment in flames.
• The army following the beasts and kings is then punished. They will be slain by the sword that comes out of Jesus’ mouth.
• The Word of God – Jesus – is living and active because He was resurrected. He will be judging our thoughts and intentions of the heart as they relate to our spiritual condition.
• No, Jesus isn’t and never was going to be a military leader.
• Go back and look at the battle again. It goes straight from gathered to captured. No tactical maneuvering. No ordinance. Just victory. Then the gospel metes out the punishment for those who chose evil over good.

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