🔥 AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION (PART 7) 🔥

Mike Balloun teaches today. 12/30/23

🔥 AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION (PART 7) 🔥

VERSES: Daniel 9:24-27; Zechariah 14; Luke 19:15-19; 1st Corinthians 15:42-42

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A SUMMARY REVIEW OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION PART 7

Lucifer had brought forth chaos in this Realm, and although man followed after him, God was not without an answer that would bring a just and glorious restorative finality. He had a plan formed in His own mind from before Adam was created. (Ephesians 1:4,11; 3:11… “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love…. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated (preordained) according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will…. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord…”) Which, in the revealing, advances the knowledge of the Greatness of God in His intelligent beings as the vastness of His plans are unfolding in these Last Days/Latter Days’ Judgements. (Daniel 10:14) The realization of God’s Plan is rejoicingly perceived first by the unseen Angel beings, to be followed by the enlightened of mankind, who shall then share in His Son’s Glory.

8) Now leaving our summary of the 3 preceding parenthetical chapters of the Book of Revelation (Chapters 12-14), and going now to a summary teaching on the 15th and 16th Chapters, there is now the opening up of another vision to John in Revelation 15:1. A vision specifically given as an expansion on the events to follow that were only briefly mentioned previously, beginning with the sounding of the 7th Trumpet in Revelation 11:15 in which great voices in the first heaven cried out “…the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord”, as the 24 ruling Elder Angels fall on their faces and worship God. The prophetic words of the 24 thankful and now enlightened Angel elders are exclaiming glory in their anticipation of the Lord conquering and beginning to Reign in this Realm within the timeframe of the sounding of the Last Trumpet. (Revelation 11:16-17) Then the Elder Angels in Revelation 11 Verse 18 foresee and declare the great power of God Almighty to be exercised in the 7th Trumpet:
the rewarding of the God-fearing on the Earth, and the rewarding of those faithful living in the Harvest catching up, and the rewarding of those faithful among the dead in the First Resurrection… all to have their part in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.
the destruction of the destroyers of the Earth.

And in Verse 19, in the beginning of the sounding of the 7th Trump, a description is set forth of what then is happening in the unseen first heaven. Revelation 11:19… “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” So here, as was noted, and commented on in the previous lesson, there is a pausing of the narrative of the further events which follow the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, in order to give the necessary informative understandings of Revelation Chapters 12-14, which are parenthetical. Said another way, chronologically speaking, you would read from Revelation 11:15, skip verses 16-19 and also skip Chapters 12-14, and then pick up again/continue at Revelation 15:1.

So the 7th Trumpet narrative picks up again with Revelation 15:1 as the new vision then continues through the end of Chapter 16. That sounding of the 7th Trump in Revelation 11:15 we now learn in 15:1 brings the accompanying sign of the last plagues; the 7 Vials of God’s Vintage Wrath, now to be poured out. They compile the third and Last Woe that comes quickly. (Revelation 11:14… “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded…”)

The 7 Vial plagues are described as completing (bringing to an end) the Wrath of God, in that they reach all the way to the glorious now foreseen conclusion pronounced in Revelation 11:15 by the Elders, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” That which the words “…it is done” encompasses, in the judgement cry from the temple in the first heaven after the 7th Vial is poured out in Revelation 16:17… “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.” (Although the judgements of that 7th Vial are just commencing and are yet to be fully executed).

Revelation 15:2-4 & 7:9-17 are parenthetical in the sense that these two sets of verses speak to the reality that manifests in Revelation 19:1-9 and Revelation 20:4-6. See Revelation 15:2-4… “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” Revelation 7:9-17… “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Again, those verses above in Revelation 15:2-4 & 7:9-17 describe what will manifest in the following verses in Revelation 19:1-9 and 20:4-6… “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven (the first heaven), saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” [Revelation 19:1-9] “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” [Revelation 20:4-6]

There are a number of different distinct groups from the ranks of the redeemed who are seen here after being caught up into the first heaven; some who stood with the Lamb, others before the throne, and before the throne and sea of glass. These are:
Christ’s first fruits from the living overcomers
those later raised from among the dead in the First Resurrection, who had conquered the Old Man/flesh, the World, and satan and that being while they were alive before the Last Days’/final 3 ½ years (including prophets and saints since Adam)
others then who were martyrs before the Last Days’ final 3 ½ yrs
then other Last Days’ martyrs who lived in the final 3 ½ yrs, being especially challenged and having thereby gotten victory over the Beast, who are therefore especially mentioned and honored
other redeemed who had come through the “hour of temptation” living and now purified and caught up also in the “Harvest”
(* It should be understood that they all are caught up pre-millennially into the first heaven, as promised reward for faithfulness, and will then be in immortal bodies and will rule. (Luke 20:36… “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” See also 1st Corinthians 15:50-58… “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the (righteous) dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Yet, these all will have differed in degrees of faithfulness and therefore will differ in ruling priestly and kingly authority. (Luke 19:15-19… “And it came to pass, that when he (the anti-type being Christ) was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.”) So it is that not all who were caught up into the first heaven will have the same glorious body and same regal authority, although all redeemed in Christ have it in possibility, having been given its promise and acquirement tools as a part of redemption, but all will not have answered the high calling in the same degrees of obedient service, suffering, fruitfulness, and development in holy character in Christlikeness while living on the Earth. (1st Corinthians 15:41-42… “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption…”)

Revelation 11:19a… “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament…” This is the same time and event of Revelation 15:5… “the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened…” …(which shows Chapters 12-14 are parenthetical). Revelation 11:19b says, “….and there were lightings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” This is the same event which picks up again with Revelation 16:18… “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake…” (this is amplified through Verse 21… “…a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”) So it is shown that the 7 Vials come between 11:19a and 11:19b.

The heavenly ark (Revelation 11:19a) with Christ’s Blood upon it testified to God’s goodness in Christ’s Atonement and mercy and grace, God’s just Wrath being contained behind the Veil while those of faith are being called on the Earth. The opening up of the Tabernacle to the Earth (Revelation 15:5) signifies the end of the Age of faith and mercy for mankind and the end of forbearance in restraint towards the wicked spirits and destroyers of the Earth; it is the wisdom and greatness in the severity of God now to be displayed in the just coming Vial Judgements. The “destroyers” of the Earth are to be purged from its surface, during which time the Ark with its mercy and grace is no longer accessible to man, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” (Revelation 15:8)

The 15th and 16th Chapters of Revelation are the beginning and ending of the pouring out of the 7 Vials of the Vintage Wrath of God, which is a continuation/an expounding of/amplification of what was previously set forth in the 14th Chapter in 3 agricultural types (the firstfruits, the Harvest, and the Vintage). This third one, which corresponds with the pouring out of the Vials, is given in Revelation 14:19-20… “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”

The results of the 7 Vials/last plagues have the destroyers/defilers of the Earth and their co-conspirators in view, and particularly in the 7th Vial being poured out on apostate Israel, and the Anti-Christ and his Armies who are encamped, having had one intent up to this point; that to exterminate the Jews. When the Lord and His Armies descend from the first heaven… “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives” (Zechariah 14:3-4), and the greatest earthquake of all time shall split the City of Jerusalem in 3 parts and cause a great valley. There also shall be a “plague” sent by God in the total instant destruction of the armies gathered at Armageddon, which will be effected as “their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth” (see Zechariah 14:12), as their souls are dragged down into the Place of Torment in Hades. And the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will then be cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 19:20)

As the 7th Vial judgment is concluding, the 16th Chapter of Revelation ends as the narrative pauses and in Revelation Chapters 17 & 18, our attention is brought back to Babel and the ancient beginnings of the Biblically-traced source of this World’s religious and secular satanically inspired system (founded and expanded on the wicked principals exercised in the Garden temptation: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) and incessantly, increasingly, and exponentially continue in the defiling of mankind in general, but specifically aimed at God’s redeemed peoples over the last 6000 years.

In answer to these “destroyers” of the Earth, these seperate Judgements on two related entities are expanded upon for our understanding: 1) the destruction of religious and politically controlling Mystery Babylon towards the middle of the 7- year period just before the ascension in power of the Anti-Christ, as described in Revelation 17:16-17. This destruction judgement having been accomplished in the early career of the Anti-Christ, just after the catching up of the Manchild, and briefly described in Revelation 14:7-8 is now amplified. 2) And then in the 18th Chapter, we are given the further detail of that which is but briefly mentioned as a part of the pouring out of the 7th Vial, in Revelation 16:19b, which results in the destruction of the Last Days’ City of the Anti-Christ, the City of Babylon, and is expanded in the 18th Chapter, which happens towards the very end of the Anti-Christ’s earthly Reign.

The 7 Vials are Judgements determined and aimed at the enemies of God. They are the final plagues that lead to the conclusion of the 70th week of Daniel, and fulfill the prophetic declaration of Daniel 9:24-27, particularily for the Jews. Again, they occur under the continuing sounding of the 7th and last Trump.

(Biblically and traditionally, the Last Trump was the trumpet blast that closed the Feast of Trumpets each year. (Leviticus 23:23-27) The Feast of Trumpets was the warning call to repentance as the Day of Yom Kippur/Day of Judgement/and Atonement approached, which is typical of the 3 ½ years of Jacob’s Trouble, and the last ½ of the 7-year Covenant of Death with the Anti-Christ by the Jews. To be followed by the Feast of Tabernacles, typical of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. The long Trumpet blast is called the “Teki’ah Gedolah” in Hebrew. It is the 100th blast and is a very long-sustained note – as long as the trumpeter has breath to hold it, and this is known as “the last trump.” It is the typical Trump to which Paul was referring to in 1st Thessalonians 4:16, where at the trump of God… the dead in Christ shall rise first…” And in 1st Corinthians 15:52… “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”)
In type, the judgements that God inflicted upon Pharaoh, his servants, and Egypt’s land to refute their gods are now exponential in the anti-type…
Vial 1 targets those who have taken the mark of the Beast and worship the image and afflicts them with grievous sores.
Vial 2 of blood targets the Mediterranean Sea that surrounds the kingdom of the Anti-Christ and deprives many peoples of a food source from which they had turned to, seeing that much of the lands lay desolate because of wars and plagues.

Vial 3 the Egyptians were given blood to drink in answer to shedding the blood of Israel’s infants. In the Last Days, God makes a great accounting for the blood shed of His saints and prophets in the lands of their murderers and gives them blood to drink.

Vial 4 “these plagues” being administrated by God as retribution at the very end of the Last Days on the destroyers of the Earth are recognized as such, “…and they repented not to give Him glory.”

Vial 5 reveals the extent of the “strong delusion” set in the infatuation of the Anti-Christ (2nd Thessalonians 2:11), that their hearts remained unbendable in spite of God’s targeting the forces and followers of the Anti-Christ, specifically at the center of where they were operating in supposed superiority. Suddenly in total darkness, unable to see, festering with sores, they yet unrepentantly raise their voices in blasphemy against God.

Vial 6 reveals clearly the Last Days’ plagues’ epicenter at the close of the career of the Anti-Christ: the great river Euphrates (where literal restored Babylon is located). In that its waters were dried up to make way for the opposing invading forces of the kings from the east against the City of Babylon, the stronghold of the Anti-Christ. A crisis is coming upon Babylon, while the Anti-Christ is away on a military campaign, that enrages him. “But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many (specifically, the continuing determined extermination of Jews while on the way back to his besieged City of Babylon).

And he (the Red Dragon, the Beast, and False prophet are arrested in their progress in realization of the final battle pending) …shall plant the tabernacles of his palace (having had a base of operations in Israel since at least the middle of the Tribulation) between the seas in the glorious holy mountain (see Revelation 16:13-16 and 1st Kings 22:23 which speak of unclean, lying spirits of devils in regards to the mustering of forces for Armageddon) yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [Daniel 11:45] The battle of Armageddon is in view, the fate of the unholy trinity is at stake, so is their continuation of authority in the Earth or damnation in the Lake of Fire).

At which time, 2nd Thessalonians 2:8 says, “…the Lord shall consume (the Anti-Christ) with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming”. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (of “Jacob’s Trouble - Jeremiah 30:7): and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” [Daniel 12:1] The context of Vial 6 answers to Daniel’s prophecy of when Israel’s captivity shall finally end.

Between Vial 6 and Vial 7, Christ’s followers, who are found now late in the great “hour of temptation,” (this timeframe seen in Revelation 3:10), are warned in Revelation 16:15 to stay awake and alert in order to be caught up in the Last Trump “harvest.” (Matthew 24:11-13, Revelation 14:12;15, 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) For if the Lord’s coming as a thief is not intended as a warning at this very point in the Last Days (between the Vials), its mentioning here is totally out of place, without purpose, and unexplainable. Thus, the Lord will come/call from the first heaven to remove His proven living faithful overcomers of the Beast before His Return and the Beast’s destruction.

The Biblical truth of the redeemed faithful ‘awake’ being caught up in the “first fruits/manchild” before the “hour of temptation” and then those redeemed who were not a part of those awake and faithful living who had to bear up then faithfully and patiently endure the “hour of temptation” to attain unto the “Harvest” catching up to the first heaven, and that sometime shortly before He returns to the Earth in the 7th Vial at the Mount of Olives…. connects all Scripture and solves the theological problems and the polarizing and contrary beliefs of a singular pre-tribulation or post-tribulation view of the Rapture.

Vial 7 concludes with the great hail storm, which prophetically connects this final judgement to Isaiah 28:17-18… “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place (wherever the conspirators might be hiding). And your covenant with death (Daniel 9:27’s 7-year peace treaty/covenant of death) shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.” The Anti-Christ and his hordes are joined by the faithless Jews who made the treaty with the Anti-Christ as God sends His final retributive judgement “…consummation, and that determined (destruction) shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27) Revelation 16:21… “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent (over 100 pounds): and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” (Note that this is exponential to the 7th plague of Egpyt which was “a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.”) The 6th 1000-year Age of God’s redemptive work closes, and the 7th Day Rest of 1000 years awaits.

In summary, before the great narrative on Christ’s first heaven’s Wedding, after the pouring out of Vial 6 and before notice is given to His personal intervention and Return to the Earth is described in the 19th Chapter’s concluding of the 7th Vial… first we have the 2 parenthetical Chapters 17 & 18 of Revelation on Ancient Babylon.