“Is this the one who destroyed the world?” (14:20)

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying. They were calling out to each other: ‘Holy, holy, holy! The LORD Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world.’” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

“The servant grew up before God--a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum.” (Isaiah 53)

Message to the seven churches “At this point I had another vision and

saw an open door in heaven. And the voice that sounded like a trumpet, which I had heard speaking to me before, said, ‘Come up here…’ There in heaven was a throne with someone sitting on it. His face gleamed like such precious stones as jasper and carnelian, and all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald.” (Revelation 4:2-3)

“Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: ‘Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?’” (Revelation 5:1-2)

“No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.” (Revelation 5:3-4)

“But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders…He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.” (Revelation 5:5-7)

God on the throne holds a scroll. Surrounded by: 4 living creatures 24 elders

No one is worthy to open the scroll The violently slaughtered Lamb on the throne is

worthy A “new song”: “Again I looked, and I heard

angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, and sang in a loud voice…And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea---all living beings in the universe---and they were singing…”

How you are fallen from heaven, O Shining one, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the

stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly

on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds,

I will make myself like the Most High.”

But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Abyss.

Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you:

“Is this the one who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities,

who would not let his prisoners go home?”

All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;

but you are cast out, away from your grave,

like loathsome carrion, clothed with the dead, those pierced by the sword,

who go down to the stones of the Pit, like a corpse trampled underfoot.

You will not be joined with them in burial, because

you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people.

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out---that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.”(Revelation 12:7-10)

“The likelihood that Revelation has a chiastic structure that puts the ‘war of the ages’ at the center of the chiasm sets this section apart as the one that gives perspective to the entire narrative.”(1) This section of the book stands out as “a fresh beginning”(2) , “an uncharacteristically abrupt fresh start” (3), “the pinnacle of the apocalyptic prophecy” (4)

1.  Tonstad, “Saving God’s Reputation”, 56 2. Rologg, “Revelation”, 1393. Bauckham, “Climax of Prophecy”, 15

4. Bousset, “Offenbarung”, 335

The seventh seal ends with a scene at “the golden altar of incense” (Revelation 8:3) and with “…rumblings and peals of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:5)

The seventh trumpet ends with a scene at “the Covenant Box” and with “flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.” (Revelation 11:19)

The seventh plague ends with “A loud voice from the throne in the temple” and with “flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, and a terrible earthquake.”(Revelation 16:17-18)

1st four trumpets are poured out on the:

1. earth2. sea 3. rivers and springs4. sun, moon and stars

1st four bowls are poured out on the:

1. earth 2. sea 3. rivers and springs 4. sun, moon and stars

6th trumpet: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River!” (Revelation 9:14)

6th bowl: the angel pours “out his bowl on the great Euphrates River.” (Revelation 16:12)

4th Seal: Rider on a pale-colored horse. “They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals. (Revelation 6:8)

Trumpets: one third of the earth, sea, rivers, sun, moon and stars...

Bowls: “Every living creature in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)

Seals: “holding back the four winds because the people are not yet sealed.” (Revelation 7:1-3)

Trumpets: They have “the mark of God’s seal on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4) and the winds are no longer held back – “release the four angels” (Revelation 9:14)

Bowls: “…with them the wrath of God is ended” (Revelation 15:1).

“War in heaven…the ancient serpent of old…thrown down to the earth” (Rev. 12)

The third trumpet: “A large star, burning like a torch, [which] fell from heaven…” (Revelation 8:10)

The fifth trumpet, “I saw a star which had fallen down to earth, and it was given the key to the abyss.”

“His name in Hebrew is Abaddon; in Greek the name is Apollyon – meaning ‘the Destroyer’” (Revelation 9:11).

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the abyss and a heavy chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent – that is, the Devil, or Satan – and chained him up…the angel threw in into the abyss, locked it and sealed it…” (Revelation 20:1-3, see also Isaiah 14:15).

"the prince of this world." (John 12:31, 14:30)

"the god of this age", and "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2).

"the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19)

“Their utter stupidity can be illustrated in any number of ways, but especially with their misreading of the divine enigmas and their insistence that there exists a being opposed to God, whom they know by the name devil (in Hebrew, Satanas…”).

But they [the Christians] show how utterly concocted these ideas are when they go on to say that the highest god in heaven, desiring to do such and such – say, confer some great gift on man – cannot fulfill his purpose because he is opposed and thwarted by a god who is his opposite. Does this mean that the Son of God can be beaten by a devil?

Celsus on the True Doctrine: A Discourse against the Christians (trans. R. Joseph Hoffmann; New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987), 98-99.

Philadelphia: “I have opened a door in front of you, which no one can close.” (Revelation 3:8)

Laodicea: “Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me...” (Revelation 3:20-21)

“At this point I had another vision and saw an open door in heaven.’” (Revelation 4:1)

Both Ezekiel and John are presented with a scroll that was “covered with writing on both sides…” (Revelation 5:1).

“I saw that there was writing on both sides – cries of grief were written there, and wails and groans.” (Ezekiel 2:10)

1st seal: “…a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He rode out as conqueror to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2).

“The Sovereign LORD said, ‘Mortal man, denounce Gog, the chief ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and tell him that I am his enemy. I will turn him in a new direction and lead him out of the far north until he comes to the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock his bow out of his left hand and his arrows out of his right hand.” (Ezekiel 39:1-3)

2nd Seal: “A second horse went out. It was fiery red. Its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and to make people slaughter one another. So he was given a large sword. (Revelation 6:4)

4th Seal: “I looked, and there was a pale-colored horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades followed close behind. They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals.” (Revelation 6:8)

“Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

“Holding back the winds” (Revelation 7:1-3)

“He was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Everyone living on earth will worship it…” (Revelation 13:7)

The first four seals highlight the destructive reign of Satan: war, famine, persecution, and death.

In this context, the fifth seal asks the logical question:“When the lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had given about him. They cried out in a loud voice, ‘Holy and true Master, how long before you judge and take revenge on those living on earth who shed our blood?’” (Revelation 6:9-10)

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.” (Matthew 13:24-25)

“An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you'll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest.’” (Matthew 13:28-30)

“…the repeated identification of Satan as ‘the deceiver’ solicits an understanding of the means by which the uprising must be overcome. As a deceiver, Satan wins support for his cause and programe by something other than what he truly represents. If this is the case, [the] simple demolition of the deceiver will not suffice unless or until his true character has become manifest. Such a perception of the cosmic conflict depends on [the] presentation of evidence for its resolution. To the extent that the deceiver wins support by purporting to be what he is not, he must be unmasked by evidence to the contrary, that is, by the evidence of his own actual deeds.

To the extent that the deceiver gains influence by slandering his opponent…his cause will unravel if the actual deeds of his opponent turn out to be different from what the slanderer has made them out to be. The crucial point relates to the fact that a conflict of this nature cannot be resolved by force. Inevitably, this requirement exposes at least one troubling risk that is intrinsic to the non-use of force: If the deceiver is partly to be unmasked by the evidence of his own actions, it means that he will be granted the opportunity to bring his design to fruition. Satan must be allowed to commit evil for his evil character to be manifest. The political risk to the diving government of this projected policy, not to mention the theological risk, hardly needs to be elaborated.” (Tonstad)

Revelation 19, another rider: “Faithful and True” A sword coming out of his mouth He has a “robe…covered with

blood” (Revelation 19:13)

“The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire, mixed with blood, came pouring down on the earth. One-third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass.” (Revelation 8:7)

“I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth.” (Revelation 12:3-4)

“When the influence of Revelation 12 is felt…the recurring ‘third’ suggest a sense that will not be a reference to quantity…[but] an answer to the question, ‘who?’ …the ‘thirds’ under the trumpets serve as a signifier of agency and therefore as a telltale sign of demonic activity. The revelator perceives in these ‘thirds’ the fingerprint of Satan on all the instances of disaster and suffering that he catalogues…” (Tonstad, pg 112)

3rd trumpet: “…a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” (Revelation 8:10)*

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. (Isaiah 14:12)

5th trumpet: “I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke. Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions…from their mouths came out fire, smoke and sulfur.” (Revelation 9:1-3,17)

“They have a king ruling over them, who is the angel in charge of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon; in Greek the name is Apollyon (meaning “the Destroyer”)” (Revelation 9:11)

“You have destroyed your land, you have killed your people” (Isaiah 14:20)

“Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.’” (Revelation 16:1)

“…the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16)

“I was shown that the judgments of God would not come directly out from the Lord upon them, but in this way: They place themselves beyond His protection. He warns, corrects, reproves, and points out the only path of safety; then if those who have been the objects of His special care will follow their own course independent of the Spirit of God, after repeated warnings, if they choose their own way, then He does not commission His angels to prevent Satan's decided attacks upon them. It is Satan's power that is at work at sea and on land, bringing calamity and distress, and sweeping off multitudes to make sure of his prey. And storm and tempest both by sea and land will be, for Satan has come down in great wrath. He is at work. He knows his time is short and, if he is not restrained, we shall see more terrible manifestations of his power than we have ever dreamed of.” {14MR 3.1}

“Daniel, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayers ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in order to rain understanding. I have come in answer to your prayer.” (Daniel 10:1,11-13)

“The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia* opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me… Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel’s guardian angel. He is responsible for helping and defending me” (Daniel 10:13,20; 11:1 – GN).

* ”spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia”

“Everyone worshiped the dragon…” (Revelation 13:4)