Revelation

The vision of heaven is presented in Revelation 21-22:5. We will examine this portion of the prophecy to address common questions. However, today we need to begin by setting the context for heaven with an important word that stretches our thinking.

Weekend Recharge!

Weekend Recharge!

Last time, we considered the millennial kingdom, where Jesus will reign over the earth from Jerusalem. It will be a thousand years of peace on earth—peace among people, nations, and nature. Satan will be confined in the abyss, the “bottomless pit,” for the thousand years. John tells us that “after that he must be released for a little while” (Rev. 20:3). Now we learn what will happen when Satan roams the earth once again. 

When the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, they proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). We know that Jesus brings peace to every believer, but will lasting peace ever come to earth? 

Life as we know it comes to an end in today’s passage. Revelation 19:17-21 appears to describe the same battle discussed in Revelation 16:12-16, when the sixth angel poured out his bowl of judgment. Today’s account depicts the end of the battle of Armageddon. The gruesome consequences of all wars are evident in this final conflict. 

After John’s vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb, which we considered last time, the apostle “saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse” (Rev. 19:11). The first time John saw a white horse was in Revelation 6, when Jesus opened the first seal, ushering in the tribulation. The rider of that white horse was the Antichrist, who brought war, famine, and destruction. But the rider of this white horse has a completely different agenda. This rider is Jesus coming again, not wrapped in swaddling clothes but wearing a robe dipped in blood. 

To this point in our study, we have seen what I believe to be the rapture of the saints, the tribulation on earth, and, in Revelation 17-18, the destruction of philosophical, religious, and economic systems. However, beginning in Revelation 19, the narrative shifts.

Weekend Recharge!