The Little Scroll

Before the seventh trumpet is sounded, there is an interlude. Chapter 10 describes what John sees in this interlude.


 ¹ Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. ² He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,³ and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. ⁴ And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
 ⁵ Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. ⁶ And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! ⁷ But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
 ⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
 ⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’^[a]” ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”



John sees an angel come down from heaven to stand on the earth. John has seen everything that has happened from his vantage point in heaven, now he is on the earth. John begins to describe this angel. The angel is robed in a cloud, which may mean robed in God's presence



²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
   This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking
Ezekial 1:28


The angel has a rainbow around his head, which is similar to the rainbow that is around the heavenly throne.


³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne 
Revelation 4:3


His face was like the sun, as John had described the face of Christ.


⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
Revelation 1:16


His legs were like fiery pillars. This may be compared to the fiery pillar that led the Israelites out of Egypt, or this may be another description of Christ that John had given when he first saw him.


²¹ By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
Exodus 13:21


¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters
Revelation 1:15


The angel had his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. This not only indicates the size of the angel, but that he was in control of both the land and the sea. 


In the angels hand is a little scroll. 


Though the description of the angel is similar to John's description of Christ, we may think that this angel is Jesus. Since John does not bow down and worship the angel, we can infer that the angel is not Christ, but perhaps Gabriel. 


⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.^[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
Daniel 12:7


The angel shouts like the roar of a lion, the seven thunders reply. Possibly they give a detailed description of the judgements to come. John is told not to write it down. It could be that what John heard was so horrific that if we knew about it, we would have no hope.


The angel raises his hands to heaven and swears by God that there will be no more delay in God's judgment. The seventh trumpet is about to be sounded, and God's judgment will come to fruition. 


John is told to take the scroll from the angel. The angel tells John to eat it, but it will be sweet in his mouth, but turn his stomach sour. Possibly what was written on the scroll was something both pleasant and unpleasant. The scroll is God's word, which would be pleasant to John, but the judgment revealed for the peoples would turn his stomach.


John is told that he must once again prophesy to the peoples, nations, languages and kings. 

The Continuation of the Trumpet Judgments

In Revelation chapter 9, we see the continuation of the trumpet blasts. In chapter 8 we saw the first four trumpets and their judgments, now we will see what will happen during the next two trumpet blasts.


 ¹ The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ² When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
 ⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. ⁸ Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.¹⁰ They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. ¹¹ They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
 ¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
 ¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
 ¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. ¹⁸ A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
 ²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹ Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.


When the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, John sees a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. This is obviously an angel. He is given a key to open the abyss. When he opens the shaft, smoke pours out of it that darkens the sky and the sun, and in that smoke are demonic beings. They are described as similar to locusts, but with stingers similar to scorpions. They were allowed to sting everyone that did not have God's seal on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill anyone, but to torment them for five months. These stings will cause incredible pain, people will want to kill themselves because of it, but will not be able to. Then John describes what these demonic creatures look like. They looked like horses prepared for battle, they were well prepared for their mission. They wore crowns of gold, this symbolizes the fact that they will be victorious in their mission. Their faces resembled human faces, you can see the cunning and intelligence in their expressions. They had hair like womens hair, some ancient warriors wore their hair long as a symbol of fierceness. They had teeth like a lions' teeth, another symbol for fierceness. They had breastplates of iron, they were invincible. The sound of their wings is like the thundering of many horses, in ancient wars the participants made as much noise as possible to intimidate their foes. They had tails and stings like scorpions, they were supernatural beings. They are also led by an archdemon, Apollyon or Abaddon, the Hebrew word for destruction. John reminds the reader that the first of these three woes is past, but there are still two more coming. 


The sixth angel sounds his trumpet. The altar before God commands the angel to release the four angels who are bound at the Euphrates river. These are evil angels that will lead a second demonic army. They were allowed to kill a third of mankind. They led an army of two hundred million. This demonic army is then described by John. They have breastplates of red, blue and yellow, this represents the red of fire, the blue of smoke and the yellow of sulfur. The breastplates symbolize their invincibility and the plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that they bring. The heads of the horses resembled lions heads, a lion is terrifying when it attacks. Out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur, a deadly attack. Their tails were like snakes, with biting heads. One third of mankind is killed by these demons. The other two thirds refuse to repent. 

The Seventh Seal

Revelation chapter eight begins with the opening of the seventh seal.


¹ When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
 ² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
 ³ Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

The Trumpets

 ⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. ⁷ The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
 ⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹ a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
 ¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.^[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
 ¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
 ¹³ As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”


When the seventh seal is opened, there is silence in heaven for half and hour. The breaking of the seventh seal ushers in the seven trumpet judgments. After the seal is broken, seven angels appear before the throne of God; They are given seven trumpets. Then an eighth angel appears with a golden censer (a vessel made for burning incense), he is given a lot of incense to burn before God's throne. The incense along with the prayers of God's people went up before God. The angel then fills his censer with fire and burning coals and throws it to the earth. The result is thunder and lightning and an earthquake. This all precedes the angels blowing their trumpets, perhaps to usher these judgments in. 


Now the first four angels sound their trumpets. 
The first trumpet is sounded...hail and fire mixed with blood is thrown down to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees are burned up and all the grass is burned up. There are many ways that God can accomplish this, a nuclear accident, an asteroid hitting earth...we don't know how God will play out this judgment, but it will happen. This is God's judgment on the land.


The second trumpet is sounded...something like a blazing mountain is thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the sea creatures are killed and a third of the ships are destroyed. This judgment can be caused by an enormous volcanic eruption, or a meteor crashing into the sea...once more, we don't know the mechanism God will use to carry out this judgment. This is God's judgment on the sea.


The third trumpet is sounded...A great burning star falls on the rivers and streams. This star is called Wormwood, because it poisons the waters. This contaminates a third of the world's fresh water. This is God's judgment on the fresh waters. 


The fourth trumpet is sounded...A third of the sun, moon and stars was darkened. This could be from atmospheric conditions blocking the light, or God could destroy them as easily as He created them. This is the judgment on the sky. 


Then an eagle flies by saying woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because the other three trumpets will soon sound. 

144,000 Sealed

In chapter seven, John's attention is once more on the heavens. This is happening between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals.
 ¹ After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ³ “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” ⁴ Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

 ⁵ From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
   from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
   from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
 ⁶ from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
   from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
   from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
 ⁷ from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
   from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
   from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
 ⁸ from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
   from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
   from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

 ⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:   “Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
 ¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:
   “Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
 ¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
 ¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”
   And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,
   “they are before the throne of God
   and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
   will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger;
   never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]
   nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne
   will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[b]
   ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[c]”


John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, much like compass points. They are holding back the four winds of the earth, which may represent devastation and calamity. 

³² This is what the LORD Almighty says:
   “Look! Disaster is spreading
   from nation to nation;
a mighty storm is rising
   from the ends of the earth.” Jeremiah 25:32
They are waiting until they receive permission to release the winds. While they wait, another angel from the east, that tells these angels not to release the wind until a seal is placed on the servants of God. This seal will protect God's people from the judgment to come. John hears that there are 144,000 believers to have the seal applied. This seal is the antithesis of the mark of the beast, which we will discuss in a later chapter. The 144,000 are said to be 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. Most Bible scholars agree that this is not from the literal tribes of Israel, since most of ten tribes were destroyed throughout history. Also, the list of tribes that are to be sealed is not the same as the literal tribes of Israel. Ephraim and Dan have been left out and replaced by Joseph and Levi. 

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
 ¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
 ²² Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! Romans 11:13-24
John's attention is now drawn to the throne of God. He sees a huge crowd of people from every nationality and race. They are wearing white robes, which stands for purity, and are waving palm branches which are used as a symbol of rejoicing. They fell down in front of the throne, worshiping God. 
One of the elders asks John if he knows who they are and where did they come from. John tells the elder, sir you know. The elder then tells him that they have come out of the great tribulation. They have been purified because they believed in Jesus Christ, who with His death on the cross has made them worthy. They are before the throne, worshiping God, and they would never again suffer. They would not have to ever again experience what they went through on earth; hunger, thirst, heat or pain. Jesus will be their shepherd and give them living water, and they will never again experience death, mourning or pain.
 ⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
   from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
   from all the earth.
            The LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8

The Opening of the Seals

In Revelation chapter six, we see Jesus, the one that is worthy to open the scroll, begin to break the seals. Until this time, John had been in heaven, writing about what he was seeing there. Now as the seals are broken, John's attention turns toward the earth where the judgments of the broken seals are being carried out.

¹ I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” ² I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
 ³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
 ⁵ When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds^[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,^[b]and six pounds^[c] of barley for a day’s wages,^[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
 ⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
 ⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,^[e] were killed just as they had been.
 ¹² I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
 ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶ They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us^[f] from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of their^[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”


The first four seals release the most well known sign, commonly known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. When Jesus breaks the first seal, one of the living creatures around the throne says "come" beckoning the first horseman, the white horse. The rider of this horse had a bow and was given a crown of conquest. Since this rider does not carry any arrows, he may symbolize a person that will conquer using peace; The white horse represents peace. It is commonly thought that this rider represents the Antichrist, who will come to power by promising peace. After he is in power, he will reveal his true agenda which is world conquest. 
After this rider has been released, Jesus breaks the second seal. The second living creature beckons the second horseman. The red horse is revealed, he symbolizes war. He had a large sword, and was given the power to take peace from the earth. This seems to follow the idea that the first horseman was bent on conquest. After the Antichrist comes to power, he will instigate war with those that try to stand against him.
The third seal releases the black horse, who represents famine. This rider has a pair of scales in his hand. The living creature calls out:  “Two pounds^[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,^[b]and six pounds^[c] of barley for a day’s wages,^[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”  This is to show the extent of the famine that will occur at this time. Basically a days wage for enough food for the day. The rider is also told not to damage the oil and wine. There will always be people that will get rich on others misfortune and have the money to have all the luxuries. 
The fourth seal will release the Pale horse named Death. It stands to reason that death would follow along behind the three preceding horses.  This rider had a companion named Hades followed behind him. They were given the power to kill one fourth of the earth by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts. They had only to follow the first three riders to fulfill their charge. 
Once the horsemen have been released, Jesus opens the fifth seal. John sees an altar in heaven, and under the altar all those that had been killed as martyrs for following Christ. They cry out, asking when will the inhabitants of the earth be judged for what they had done and when will their sacrifice be avenged. They are given the white robes of the martyr and told to wait for all the other martyrs that would be killed during the Tribulation period. God is just and merciful, He will not institute judgment until everyone is given a chance to turn to Him. 
When Jesus opens the sixth seal, there is a huge earthquake. This earthquake was so large that every mountain and island was moved. The sun turned black, the moon turned red and stars fell from the sky. 
³¹ The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. Joel 2:31
The peoples of the earth are terrified when this judgment occurs. They blame God for what is happening instead of repenting.

The Scroll and the Lamb

In chapter five, the scroll of the first judgments is revealed.
¹ Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
 ⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a] of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying:
   “You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased for God
   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign^[b] on the earth.”
 ¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:
   “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
   to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
   and honor and glory and praise!”
 ¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
   “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
   be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
 ¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.


John sees an God holding a scroll. The scroll had writing on the front and back, which seems to allude to the fact that there was a lot of details on the scroll. It was also sealed with seven seals, which means that it was shut by God Himself. An angel asks if there is anyone that is worthy to open this scroll. At first there is no answer, and John begins to cry because there was no one worthy to open the scroll. One of the elders tells him not to cry, that there is one being that is 
worthy.  Jesus is called the Lion of Judah and the Root of David. 
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1: 29-33
 ⁸ “Judah,^[b] your brothers will praise you;
   your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
   your father’s sons will bow down to you.
⁹ You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
   you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
   like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
   nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,^[c]
until he to whom it belongs^[d] shall come
   and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Genesis 49:8-10
When John looks up he sees a lamb that was slain taking the scroll from God. This obviously refers to Jesus who was slain for the sins of the world. The seven horns symbolize the divine power that Jesus possesses. The seven eyes represent the Holy Spirit. God allowing Jesus to take the scroll is showing that He has transfered power and authority to Him who was worthy. After this the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures all fall down and worship the lamb. They begin to sing that Jesus was worthy to take and open the scroll because He had been slain and with His blood had bought the forgiveness of men from all the world. A multitude of angels begins to sing that the lamb is worthy because He was slain to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise. Then John hears all of creation singing this song of praise to Jesus. Then the four living creatures say "Amen" or may it be so.


This is all a prelude to Jesus opening the Scroll of Judgment. The one who is worthy to open the scroll has been found, all heaven rejoices. Next the judgments on the wicked left on earth will begin.

Throne in Heaven

^{Today I would like to discuss Revelation chapter 4. This chapter begins the next section of Revelation, and continues on until chapter 16. In the preceding chapters John had visions of the time of the church age, from Pentecost through the end of the church age culminating in the rapture of the church.  Now that the church has been removed from the earth the judgments of God against the earth can begin. This chapter begins with John being told to come up to heaven so he may see what will happen.}


Revelation 4


¹ After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
   In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
   “‘Holy, holy, holy
   is the Lord God Almighty,’^[b]
   who was, and is, and is to come.”
 ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
 ¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they were created
   and have their being.”


When John looks around heaven the first thing he sees is a throne. He sees a being sitting on the throne that he can only describe as having the appearance of jewels with a rainbow surrounding the throne. Now the first time the rainbow is mentioned in the Bible, it is to remind us of God's promise to never destroy the earth again with a flood.
 ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”Genesis 9:12-16 This rainbow around the throne may be a reminder that God has not forgotten His covenant with us. John was trying to describe something that was indescribable. Around this throne were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them. It is not clear who these elders are, some people think they may represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.
 ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people. Matthew 27:51-53
This may be another possible explanation of who is sitting on the thrones. We won't know until we can one day ask Jesus. 
After seeing these thrones, John once more focuses on God's throne, where there was thunder and lightning. He notices seven lamps in front of the throne that represent the seven spirits of God, as we noted earlier, this represents the Holy Spirit. Also in front of the throne is something like a sea of glass that is clear as crystal. John was not able to fully describe what he was seeing, the beauty was beyond describing. 
Now John sees four living creatures around the throne. They were completely covered with eyes and each creature had six wings. John describes them as one like a lion, and ox, a man and an eagle. The eyes may represent that they are watchful guardians of the throne. In Ezekiel's vision, he saw creatures that were similar to these beasts, they were God's cherubim. These creatures may be other cherubim who's job it is to guard the throne. 

⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
 ¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Ezekiel 1:5-10
This is also similar to the ark of the covenant where God's glory rested between the cherubim wings that were carved over the ark.
 ¹⁷ “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ¹⁸ And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. ²¹ Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. ²² There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. Exodus 25:17-22
The creatures worship God continually, and when they do the elders also fall down before God and offer Him their crowns and worship Him. 

Joyce Meyer Conference October 13-15 2011

I had a great weekend at the Joyce Meyer conference. You have to love Joyce, she pulls no punches and you usually get convicted! Each day we had worship with Phil Wickham. The music was great, and he really got the crowd revved up for Joyce!

At Your Name by Phil Wickham

The theme for this conference was to press past difficulties in your life to reach the blessing God has for you. In the Bible, wine is equated with power. As grapes need to be pressed to become wine, so we need to be pressed spiritually to get to our spiritual power.
During the first teaching of the conference, Joyce spoke about pressing past your feelings.
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
When we take the easy road, we are not getting the blessing that we would be getting than if we take the narrow, more difficult road. We all have feelings that we experience in life. Some people feel rejection, betrayal, abandonment, revenge seeking, self-pity, self centeredness, jealousy, depression, discouragement, disappointment, and many more. When we let these feeling control us, we are taking the easy road. When we let these feelings control us, we are too consumed by them to be available for Jesus to use us. When we put the feelings aside we are able to serve God. We are here for a purpose, God has a purpose for your life. If you hold on to the past hurts you will stay unhappy and miserable. If you put the hurts behind you and give yourself up to God to be used for His purpose, then you will receive blessings and you will have joy.
 ¹⁰ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10


During the second teaching, Joyce spoke about pressing beyond guilt and shame.  Sometimes you may feel that God is chastising you. It is a good thing that God shows you what you are doing wrong. It is only because God loves you and wants you to be better. Similar to a parent chastising a child, they punish a child so that they will learn to do what is right. Instead of making excuses, you need to say yes God, you are right, I have no excuse. I'm sorry, forgive me and I rejoice that you care so much about me that you show me what I can change. God forgives our sins because He wants to have a relationship with you. You need to move past not liking who you are. God loves you, and created you in the womb to be who you are. You can not like what you do, but don't not like who you are. Your value should not be tied to something in your life. You are no surprise to God, nothing you do surprises Him or makes Him love you less. You won't make any progress if you are so wrapped up in who you are not, and what you have not done. We need to let go of guilt. Some people are addicted to feeling guilty. 
⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9
We are sinners and need a savior. Jesus intercedes with God for us continually. Satan loves to tell you that everything is all your fault, and that you are not good enough. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. When Satan comes to accuse you, tell him: I am none of your business! I belong to another!
Don't be upset about how far you have to go, be excited about how far you have come! 

Joyce's third teaching was on pressing past the pain of feelings. Your soul says; I want, I think, I feel. Emotions are the believers #1 enemy. Our flesh wants to do things that make it happy, even though it is a bad thing. One example is overeating. If we left it up to how we feel, we would eat whatever we liked and become overweight and unhealthy. When we press beyond these feelings, we eat healthy and stay healthy.  So you can see that when we press beyond the wants of our flesh, we receive a benefit. If we make right choices when we are hurting, we will be victorious.  You have to make a choice to be helped. Life is not fair, but God is just. 
¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
You have three choices:
1- Press past the pain now
2- Decide to do it later and stay miserable now
3- Keep the pain forever and stay miserable forever

⁷ Instead of your shame
   you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
   you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
   and everlasting joy will be yours.
 ⁸ “For I, the LORD, love justice;
   I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
   and make an everlasting covenant with them.  Isaiah 61:7-8
God loves to take someone whose life is in fragments, and who has turned their life over to God; He likes to take them and transform then and bless them beyond measure.
You need to start living a life of expectancy. There is no greater testimony than a transformed life. You should learn to enjoy where you are now on the way to where you are going.


The final teaching for this series was to press past anger and unforgiveness.
When your spirit/soul/mind get full of anger you can't grow spiritually. No matter how we feel, we need to choose to do what is right. 
⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59
We need to pray for forgiveness for the people who hurt us. They are probably in pain and are lashing out at you. Being godly says more to your enemies than anger. 
²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
God is faithful and will bless you if you do the right thing. Put your anger aside and bless your enemy. When you do good to others you are paying back Satan. Anger is in itself not a sin, it is what you do when you are angry that is the sin. When you choose to move beyond your anger, you get a release. It no longer has a hold on you.When you are angry, talk to God about it. 
If you repress your anger, it will come out in other ways; depression, overeating, bitterness, resentment. 
 ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
If we want to be a witness to those that hurt you before God, we need to pray for them and ask God not to charge them with the sin. Instead ask God to bless them. This may lead to them turning to Christ. Our example is more powerful than our words. We need to forgive as God has forgiven us. 


The conference was very powerful, and really showed how holding on to our past hurts could be detrimental to our walk with Christ. When we press past these hurts, we are opened up to a world of blessing and God can really use us to be a blessing to other people. 
Each day Pastor Mike Shepherd did an altar call. Praise God, more than 1100 people turned their lives over to Christ!