Revelation, Stephen Picklesimer [summer reading list .txt] 📗

all parents, He punishes His children. Proverbs 3:11-12 states, “…despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the LORD loves He corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.”
These are the plain words of God about how He works with people. We are about to read of terrible plagues to be poured out on a God-hating, truth-rejecting, self-willed, rebellious world. This punishment is coming for a reason. Six thousand years of ignoring God have come to the FULL—and God is filled with WRATH!
Chapter 8: The Seven Trumpet Plagues

The eighth chapter depicts the opening of the seventh seal. Recall that the seven seals represent the entire book of Revelation. But exactly what is the seventh seal?
As it is opened, seven angels stand before God and receive the seven trumpets. A different angel took a censer “…and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake” (vs. 5).
This earthquake represents the BEGINNING of the seven trumpet plagues, which begin the seventh seal’s fulfillment, and the Day of the Lord.
Revelation 8:1-2 shows that the seventh seal is the same as the seven trumpets: “And when He had opened the SEVENTH SEAL, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given SEVEN TRUMPETS.”
Now understand! This verse proves that all seven seals are not the same as, or equal to, all seven trumpets. This is critical to recognize—and is another big KEY to understanding Revelation. Make this important distinction now: (1) The seventh seal is all seven trumpets and (2) the seventh trumpet is all seven last plagues or vials. This is confusing to almost everyone, because most believe that the seven trumpets and the seven last plagues are synonymous. Also, the seven trumpets do not follow the seventh seal—they are the seventh seal. Simply reading more carefully eliminates this error.
The seven trumpets represent seven stages (Revelation 9:20 calls them “PLAGUES”—but they are not the seven LAST plagues, or vials, as we shall see).
Recall that the four winds comprise the first four trumpet plagues. Revelation 8:3-12 reveals that they blow on the (1) earth, (2) trees, (3) rivers, and (4) sea, with a third part of the sun, moon and stars smitten and darkened. Space prohibits explaining in detail the fuller meaning of the stunning effect of these great winds.
Various places in the Old Testament show that, anciently, a trumpet was always blown as an alarm of war (Num. 10:9; Jer. 4:19; Ezek. 33:2-6; etc.). When heard, it signaled approaching armies and the onset of battle. Israel and Judah always went to war with the sound of a trumpet.
The fifth and sixth trumpets clearly depict war—in two stages. Make note of another important point. The last three trumpets, the fifth, sixth and seventh, are synonymous with the THREE WOES (Rev. 8:13). The chart in the middle of this booklet helps make this plain.
The world loves war—and has practiced it for 6,000 years! And man has always pursued war on his own terms. When God goes to war with the world, He is choosing to speak in a language men understand—and, this time, HE controls the terms! However, this is also His way of pleading with all humanity to “WAKE UP!”
These seven trumpet plagues are a truly frightening and horrific punishment from God for those remaining unresponsive in their disobedience: “And the rest of the men which were not killed by THESE PLAGUES [the seven trumpets] yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk” (Rev. 9:20). Obviously, many continue to remain unresponsive after these plagues, and continue to serve the myriad of false gods worshipped around the world.

Chapter 9: The Three Woes

Chapter 9 pertains entirely to the first two of the THREE WOES—the fifth and sixth trumpets.
In verses 1-11, the fifth trumpet, or FIRST WOE, is described as a great power that comes out of what the Bible calls the “bottomless pit.” This, of course, is a symbol and not an actual pit somewhere on the earth. Revelation 17:8-14 interprets it. The old Roman Empire (with its seven separate resurrections or heads) emerges from this “pit” one last time. The sixth head, Mussolini’s revival of this Roman system, was small and relatively insignificant. The soon-coming last revival will be much greater!
In 9:11, John calls Satan “a destroyer,” referring to him as a “king over them”—a system of people led by a final, world-ruling, counterfeit figure soon to appear, just prior to the Return of Christ. The Hebrew word Abaddon means “Satan,” and the Greek word Apollyon, also used there, means “a destroyer.” Understanding Satan as a DESTROYER sets the stage for the next scripture.
Verses 13-21 describe the SECOND WOE. Open your Bible and read these verses. In them, an army of 200 million “horsemen” attacks and temporarily repels the European system led by the final super-dictator known as the “beast.” These eastern hordes (Ezek. 25:4, 10), probably led by Russia or China, and allied with India and Japan, compose the 200-million-man army.
The prophet Ezekiel describes the same events of Revelation 9:13-21, revealing more: “And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords...and you shall come from your place out of the NORTH parts, you, and many people with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army” (38:4, 15). (Also see Joel 2:4.)
The reference to horses and horsemen is obviously a representation of an immense army. Yes, 200 million is certainly “a mighty army.” In all likelihood, this is an attack by the Russian and Northern Asian hordes (armies) against what is called the Beast and Babylon (Rev. 17 and 18). Jeremiah 50 and 51 and Isaiah 13 and 14, and 47 and 48 describe this coming system and its destruction.
Forces on earth are forming even now, so they can come into play at the right moment within God’s Plan!

Chapter 10: The Little Book

Chapter 10 is almost entirely about a “little book” held in the hand of a “mighty angel.” This little book is “sweet as honey” in John’s mouth, but “bitter” in his belly. This is a reference to the book of Ezekiel, but perhaps also working in conjunction with the book of Revelation itself.
The most important part is verse 7, which explains that the seventh angel (that sounds in the end of chapter 11) brings an end to the mystery of God’s Plan as declared by all of His prophets.
Verse 11 reveals that the message of the little book, and the book of Revelation, was to be taken by one (not John because he never did this) to “peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” For this to happen again, it must previously happen in a first fulfillment. This occurred, and is now happening “again.”

Chapter 11: The Two Witnesses

The first 13 verses contain a description of God’s two final end-time servants known as the Two Witnesses. Ridiculous interpretations, and at least one Hollywood movie, have brought much confusion as to who these men are.
These two great “prophets” (vs. 10) witness for three and a half years before being killed by the beast, the last leader of the modern rebirth of the Roman Empire (vs. 7). Again, Revelation 13 and 17, and Daniel 2 and 7 describe this system. The identity of these two individuals is unknown. However, when they do come on the scene, it will be clear that Christ’s Return is imminent.
These men are given extraordinary power to perform miracles and are protected from harm—until God permits their death in order to resurrect them as a testimony against the powerlessness of those who killed them. If anyone tries to harm them and interfere with their ministry, “…fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies” (vs. 5).
This is comparable to the power that was given to Elijah, as demonstrated in II Kings 1:9-15. These prophets will be empowered to bring drought and famine upon the earth, just as Elijah did (I Kgs. 17:1-7; Luke 4:25). They will also be able to strike the earth with plagues (vs. 6).
Christ calls these prophets “MY two witnesses” (vs. 3). Combine this with Zechariah 4, which refers to the Two Witnesses several times, culminating with verse 14: “These are the TWO ANOINTED ONES that stand by the Lord of the whole